Sweet Revenge
by Abby J and Amber L
Summary: CJ's new deputy wreaks havoc on the West Wing in a desperate attempt to use Jed to destroy Abbey. Sequel to The Heart Brings You Back.
1. Default Chapter

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 1  
  
This story takes place six months after "The Heart Brings You Back" ends.  
  
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this story are not ours. They belong to the wonderfully talented Aaron Sorkin, NBC, and Warner Bros.  
  
Previous story: After a year of separation, Abbey returned to the White House and stopped blaming Jed for Zoey's death, Jed's MS gave him more trouble, specifically with his legs, and with her husband's help, Abbey wanted to end her dependency on anti-anxiety drugs. CJ's new deputy, Emma, used to be Jed's intern when he was Governor of New Hampshire.  
  
Summary: Jed and Abbey celebrate and reflect. Emma has something up her sleeve.  
  
Jed wheeled himself to the dining room table and lit the candles as he waited for his wife to arrive. It was rare that he was home this early, but tonight was special. It was a night he had been waiting for for months, a night he had planned for weeks.  
  
When Abbey walked through the door, she was immediately startled by the dark, candlit room. Jed wheeled himself over to her, taking her hand in his and guiding her to the table. He pulled out her chair for her and carefully pushed it back in once she sat down.  
  
"This is beautiful," she remarked.  
  
"This is just the beginning."  
  
"What's the occasion?"  
  
"You don't know?"  
  
"It's not our anniversary, it's not my birthday. No, I don't know."  
  
"Six months ago today, you did one of the bravest things I've ever seen you do," he reminded her, referring to her admitting that she was addicted to prescription drugs followed by her asking for his help.  
  
The fact that he remembered, that it meant so much to him, that he actually planned a night of celebration to commemorate it, brought a tear to Abbey's eye. The last six months hadn't been easy. The first several nights after her confession were spent with Jed staying up with her all night, supporting her during her countless panic attacks that usually lasted 8-10 hours, holding her hair back when she got sick, and keeping her safe in his arms when she thought it would never end.  
  
It did end. In a few weeks, the shaking, the sweating, the rapid heartbeat, and the insomnia got better. And when it did, Jed was right there, reassuring her of his love once again. Her emotional dependency was much harder to deal with. Psychologist Stanley Keyworth was brought in to help the couple not only deal with Abbey's addiction, but also with Zoey's death, and the fact that Jed's legs were so badly affected by his MS that he was confined to a wheelchair. The trio of problems put an enormous strain on their marriage. There were joint sessions with both of them present, and one-on-one sessions, where they were forced to answer questions they tried to avoid asking one another.  
  
"How do you feel about the fact that Abbey has an addiction?" Dr. Keyworth asked Jed during one meeting.  
  
"I love her."  
  
"That isn't what I asked you."  
  
"I'm disappointed that this happened, but I love her," he answered honestly.  
  
"Disappointed in her?"  
  
"No. Never in her. It's just...she should have known better. She's a doctor."  
  
"You think it doesn't happen to doctors? Last year, the largest group of people affected by addiction to prescription drugs in this country, was health care professionals."  
  
Jed was speechless.  
  
During a session with Abbey, Keyworth brought out all her raw emotions about Jed's part in Zoey's death and his failing health.  
  
"You knew he wasn't responsible for her abduction. You knew he'd give his life if it meant saving hers. Why were you angry with him?" he asked.  
  
"I was angry about the assassination order," she replied, her voice completely devoid of any emotion.  
  
"That's isn't all. What else were you angry about, Abbey?"  
  
After 15 minutes of prodding, Abbey finally blurted out, "I was angry that his need to save the world cost us our child, and eventually cost him his health! The first time he ran for President, I didn't think he'd win. The second time, I prayed he wouldn't," she admitted coldly.  
  
The therapy was difficult for both of them. But looking back on it tonight, six months later, the long, heart-wrenching sessions were worth it. Husband and wife were back on track and it felt to both as if nothing in the world could separate them ever again.  
  
There would be more therapy of course. And Abbey had taken Leo up on his offer and began atttending the secret AA meetings in the OEOB. Only nine members belonged in that room -- Leo, Abbey, three U.S. Senators, one Congressman, and three Congressional aides. With an agent standing outside, no one would know what was really going on inside. Abbey hadn't even told Jed. There was no need to. He trusted her and all the bumps in the road were now slowly disappearing, making way for smoother times ahead.  
  
But there was still one more problem with which the First Couple would soon come face-to-face. It was a problem brewing in the West Wing, a problem no one saw coming. Emma Bradford had wiggled her way into the press office and as CJ's new deputy and the President's acquaintance, she had access to the very people who could help her wreak havoc on the First Lady. It was the chance of a lifetime for Emma. It was an opportunity she wouldn't let slip through her fingers. She was finally ready and able to get revenge on Abigail Bartlet and she would use Jed to do it.  
  
TBC 


	2. Chapter 2

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
Previously: Jed and Abbey celebrated her six-months drug-free anniversary. Emma became excited at the thought of using Jed to destroy Abbey  
  
Summary: Jed has a surprise for Abbey and Emma claims a news reporter is threatening to air a piece about Abbey's drug problem  
  
Feedback is always appreciated!  
  
After dinner, Jed and Abbey's celebration moved into the bedroom. He sat her down on the bed, then positioned himself just a few feet away. He put both hands on the edge of his wheelchair and slowly began to lift himself up.  
  
"Jed, what are you doing?"  
  
"It's okay," he said, easing her concern.  
  
Abbey couldn't believe her eyes. Jed was able to stand up and walk towards her.  
  
"Oh my god," she gasped as she stood up in front of him and began to touch him.  
  
"I got the results back today. I've been feeling so much better. There's a reason. I'm in remission."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I didn't want to until the doctor confirmed it. I was afraid of getting your hopes up, and I didn't want anything to ruin tonight."  
  
Abbey cupped his face in her hands. With tears streaming down her face, she pushed her lips into his and released all her built-up emotions into one long, steamy kiss. Jed began to walk her backwards until the back of her legs hit the bed. He gently pushed her until she was laying back, with him on top of her.  
  
"Jed, please make love to me."  
  
It had been so long since they had made love. Part of him was afraid that he wouldn't be able to connect with her the way he did before the wheelchair. That fear soon passed their bodies were joined once again.  
  
Meanwhile, in the press office, CJ had a crisis. Emma told her about rumors circulating around Manchester about the President's accident six months earlier. According to Emma, a reporter at Channel 9 was claiming that Abbey was unable to help her husband because she was high on pain killers. Obviousy, part of that was false. Abbey was never addicted to pain killers. Then again, there really wasn't even a reporter snooping around the story.  
  
"Who's the reporter?" CJ wanted to know.  
  
"Let me handle it," Emma begged.  
  
"No way. This is my territory."  
  
"CJ, I know him. I know him personally. If you get on the phone, he'll run the piece on the 6 o'clock news tonight. If I talk to him, I can get him to back off."  
  
"It's not even true! If he runs it, we'll sue his ass for slander."  
  
"He has sources," she replied. "CJ?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do we know it's not true?"  
  
CJ ignored her question. Of course she didn't know if it was true. She had heard the same rumors. Abbey was her friend, but she had never talked to her about this. She couldn't bring herself to ask if she had a drug problem. But now that the press was involved, she had to know. She headed to the Residence, shouting, "fix it," to Emma on the way out.  
  
By the time CJ arrived at the Residence, Jed and Abbey were basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. They sighed in frustration as they got dressed when they discovered that their time alone was coming to an end.  
  
"I'm sorry to disturb you tonight."  
  
"It's okay, CJ. What's going on?" Jed asked.  
  
"Sir, you're walking?" CJ was shocked to see the President on his feet.  
  
"Yes, I am. I'm in remission."  
  
"That's great!"  
  
Abbey walked over to her husband, placing her arm around him and grinning at him with pride. "So what's this all about, Claudia Jean?"  
  
"Ma'am..."  
  
"CJ, we've talked about this before. When we're in the Residence, it's Abbey."  
  
"Okay, Abbey, there's a story that's coming out regarding you and pain killers."  
  
Abbey took small steps back towards the sofa. She didn't expect this. How did anyone find out? The only people who knew were Jed, Leo, and the other members of the AA group. She didn't even know that Charlie had seen her take her pills the day that Jed collapsed.  
  
Jed approached her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder to let her know it was okay. Abbey realized that the only way CJ could help her now was if she was completely honest with her. CJ had to be told.  
  
"They weren't pain killers," Abbey said.  
  
"I'm sorry?"  
  
"I said they weren't pain killers. They were anti-anxiety drugs."  
  
And with that, Abbey sat CJ down and told her the whole story, except, of course, the part about the patient in Boston. That was something she wasn't ready to talk about with anyone but Jed. She hadn't even brought it up in therapy.  
  
CJ didn't judge her. She came out of press secretary-mode and gave her friend a hug. She was glad that Abbey had sought help for the problem and was convinced that regardless of what the press threw at them, the courage the First Lady showed in getting off the drugs would outweigh all the negative publicity. Abbey wasn't so sure.  
  
Jed was proud of his wife for finally getting to a point where she could talk about her addiction. But now that the press was aware of it, he wanted to protect her from the public scrutiny to which she'd be subjected. The three headed back to the press office to talk to Emma, not expecting her to have a surprise of her own.  
  
"It's taken care of."  
  
"What do you mean?" CJ asked.  
  
"It's over. The reporter said he wasn't going to run the story."  
  
"How on Earth did you do that?" Abbey asked.  
  
"I have my ways," Emma replied with a coy smile.  
  
"This is why I always said you were priceless," Jed remarked as he walked closer to the Deputy Press Secretary. "From the first day you interned for me in New Hampshire, I knew one day those wits of yours would get me out of trouble. I guess I should thank CJ for hiring you."  
  
Jed gave Emma a fatherly hug, but Emma held on tight, knowing every second she spent in Jed's arms was another second Abbey was tormented by her presence.  
  
"I only hired her with your blessing, Sir," a smiling CJ commented.  
  
When Jed first told Abbey CJ had hired Emma, Abbey's old feelings of mistrust towards the woman came creeping back. Even in New Hampshire, there was something evil about her that Abbey couldn't quite put her finger on. She was good at her job, a little too good. Jed appreciated her work, but Abbey was always suspicious. At first, she thought it was simply jealousy. Emma was a statuesque young woman with flowing blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. It didn't hurt that she was also a well-read intellectual whom her husband sometimes referred to as brilliant.  
  
But Abbey knew there was no reason to be jealous. She trusted Jed. He would never have an affair with another woman, much less someone young enough to be his daughter. After a while, she realized it wasn't her insecurities that made her hate Emma. It was Emma. She couldn't shake the feeling that that woman was just wired wrong. Something wasn't right about her and Abbey knew it.  
  
And now, here she was again, after all these years. Emma was all grown up and this time, it was much worse. At least in New Hampshire, Abbey wasn't involved in the politics. Now, Abbey's drug problem presented a conflict for the President and Emma came riding to the rescue, trying to save the day. The worst part was, she did save the day. She was the hero in this little teleplay. She earned Jed's gratitude and she knew it. And what motivated her even more was that Abbey knew it too.  
  
This was just the beginning.  
  
TBC 


	3. Chapter 3

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Rated R for violence  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
Previously: Emma saved the day when she claimed she got a reporter to back off the story about Abbey's drug problem, Jed told Abbey he was in remission  
  
Summary: Abbey decides to start over with Emma  
  
When Jed and Abbey returned to their bedroom, he sensed there was tension between them, but he wasn't quite sure why. He knew Abbey never really cared for Emma, but now that she saved them both from public humiliation, he thought Abbey might not be so hard on her.  
  
"You're awfully quiet," he said, finally breaking the silence. She didn't respond. "Abbey." He walked around the bed, gently putting his hand on her shoulders and turning her to face him. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Why didn't you tell me that you gave CJ the greenlight to hire her?"  
  
"Who, Emma? I told you that."  
  
"No, Jed, you didn't. You told me that CJ hired her. You said she had excellent credentials and when CJ found out she interned for you, she was sold. You never once said that CJ spoke to you about it."  
  
"I'm sorry, honey. I thought I did."  
  
Abbey turned away from him, quietly making up the bed and fluffing her pillow. It always infuriated Jed when she wouldn't acknowledge his apologies.  
  
"Anyway, what's the big deal?" he asked her.  
  
"No big deal."  
  
"Don't tell me it's no big deal when you're angry." Jed replied, frustrated by her attitude. After a few seconds, he walked in front of her and and cupped her face, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Abbey. Come on. What's going on?"  
  
Abbey knew she should talk to him about her feelings, but she couldn't even explain her feelings. She didn't know why she felt the way she did, or why she was angry with Jed. All he did was fulfill a promise to help a former intern. Abbey had known about the promise. It didn't bother her back then, but then again, she never dreamed Emma would ever be working for Jed again. She just assumed Jed would get her a cozy little job on Capitol Hill and that would be the end of it.  
  
"I don't know why she bothers me so much," she admitted. "I know she shouldn't. I mean, she's never really done anything to me. She's never so much as given me a dirty look. There's just something about her I don't trust."  
  
Jed was moved by her candor. He kissed her on the lips and pulled her into his arms. "Sweetheart, you know I love you and usually, I find your intuition about these things endearing, but isn't it possible that maybe this time, you're wrong? Have you ever even gotten to know her?"  
  
"No, I guess I haven't."  
  
"Maybe you should talk to her. It'll put your mind at ease."  
  
Abbey smiled, looking up at her husband while still cradled in his embrace. He was right. She never gave Emma a chance. If she got close to her, maybe she'd like her. And if she didn't, then maybe she could finally explain why.  
  
"Okay," she agreed as she pulled away to turn off the light and get ready to crawl into bed.  
  
The next morning, Abbey was determined to keep her word to Jed. She wanted to give herself a chance to get to know Emma. She walked down to the press office to personally invite Emma to lunch in the Residence. Emma jumped at the chance. She never expected Abbey to roll out the welcome mat, but now that she had, she wouldn't let the opportunity slip through her fingers.  
  
When Emma arrived at the Residence that afternoon, Abbey was still preparing lunch in the kitchen. Emma offered to help, but her mind quickly wandered as she caught a glimpse of the large butcher knife on the counter. It would be so easy, she thought. She had fantasies about this moment. She would grab Abbey by the hair and drag her into the other room. She'd hold her tightly from behind with the knife to her throat, making her beg for her life. And even after Abbey would tearfully plead with Emma to let her live, Emma would still take great joy in slicing her throat slowly, painfully. Abbey's agonizing scream was a lullaby to her ears.  
  
"Emma?" Abbey called out on her way out of the kitchen.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry."  
  
"Could you just grab an extra fork please?"  
  
"Of course," Emma responded as she walked over to the counter, still mesmerized by the knife. For one second she picked it up, looked it over, then put it back. It would be too quick, she thought. She didn't want Abbey to feel pain just for a minute or two. She wanted her to feel a lifetime of misery. In order for that happen, Abbey couldn't die. She'd have to live to see Jed die instead. She'd have to live so she could be the cause of his death. Only then would she know what true suffering was.  
  
TBC 


	4. Chapter 4

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
Previously: Abbey invited Emma back to the Residence for lunch, hoping to learn to like her. Emma had fantasies about killing Abbey, but decided Abbey would suffer more if Jed was the one who was hurt.  
  
Summary: It's two months later and Jed and Abbey grieve together as Emma reveals a bit of her past to CJ, then schemes to get her new boss in trouble  
  
Jed woke up knowing it was a somber day. He didn't expect to find Abbey already awake and in the shower. He hoped they could just pull the covers over their heads, cuddle for several hours, and block out the rest of the world. That's what he wanted to do, that's what he wished they could do. But today wasn't the day to avoid the world. It was a day he dreaded, a day that last year, nearly killed him with grief -- it was Zoey's birthday, the second one since her death.  
  
Jed reached over to pick up his wrist watch from the nightstand. As he put it on his wrist, reaching under to grab the clasp, he paused in thought. All his memories of Zoey came flooding back. It was overwhelming and caused him to sit back on the bed and bury his face in his hands as he sobbed.  
  
When Abbey turned off the water, she heard her husband's faint cries in the bedroom. Throughout their marriage, she had only seen Jed cry a handful of times. It was a sound she always hated, a sound that always stung her to her core.  
  
She wrapped herself in her bathrobe and opened to door to see him curled up in the fetal position on the bed, his face turned away from her. She approached the bed and without him even realizing she was out of the shower, she layed down behind him, wrapping him in her arms.  
  
"I love you, baby," she said as she gently kissed the top of his head.  
  
Jed turned himself around to face her, pulling her tightly into an embrace. He buried his face in her neck as she stroked his head and joined him in the tears. It was the first time they had grieved for their slain daughter together.  
  
When Abbey held him that morning, all of Jed's doubts were immediately erased. Sure, they were working on getting their marriage back, but part of him always wondered if Abbey could ever truly and completely forgive him for Zoey's death. That morning, he finally knew the answer -- she already had forgiven him. It was a big step on the road to forgiving himself.  
  
Meanwhile, the press office was busy as usual. As CJ scrambled around trying to get ready for her mid-morning briefing, Toby snuck up behind her, discreetly directing her to her office where they could be alone. The problem was, they weren't exactly alone. From her desk, Emma could hear bits and pieces of the conversation.  
  
"There's something you should know just in case it comes up in the coming months," he told her.  
  
"That sounds ominous."  
  
"Look, the only people know about this are the President and myself. We don't want anyone else in on it and the only reason I'm telling you is so that you can keep an eye on the press and give us fair warning if..."  
  
"Toby, what is it?"  
  
"It's about Social Security."  
  
Toby went on to tell CJ his plan to fix Social Security so the Baby Boomers wouldn't be left out in the cold when they retired. But the American public always went crazy when anyone dared to suggest changes to the federal program, so Toby thought it would be safer to circumvent protocol and go straight to the President, instead of channeling his ideas through Leo. He was taking a chance going to CJ, but he trusted her and so did Jed.  
  
Once he explained the ins and outs of what he planned to do, he left her with a briefing book, outlining his strategy. CJ put the binder on her desk, promising to read it later and discuss it with him further the next day.  
  
As they left her office, Carol handed CJ vacation notices that were piling up on her desk. CJ took the papers and after briefly shuffling through them, dropped them back on Carol's desk.  
  
"Is there a problem?" Emma asked, sensing her boss's frustration.  
  
"It's not even Thanksgiving yet and everyone's putting in for Christmas vacation. I'm going to have to deny some of them." CJ looked up at her deputy. "So let me guess, you want to go back to New England to spend the holidays with your family?"  
  
"No, I can work."  
  
"You're not even going to ask?"  
  
"No. I don't really have plans," Emma replied. "Christmas isn't exactly a day I want to celebrate."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"My fiance and I were supposed to get married on Christmas morning last year."  
  
"Supposed to?"  
  
"Yeah. He was killed the night before," she answered softly.  
  
"I'm so sorry. How..."  
  
"He was hurt in a car accident in Boston. He probably would have made it, except..."  
  
"Except what?"  
  
"He needed surgery and the surgeon was high on drugs during his operation."  
  
"Oh my god!" CJ exclaimed. "Emma, did you take legal action?"  
  
"She was an important person, with connections. She never paid for it."  
  
"Is she still practicing medicine?"  
  
"She's doing a lot of things."  
  
"I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry," CJ offered.  
  
"That's okay. Karma's a boomerang."  
  
With that, Emma walked away, leaving CJ with an incredible feeling of sadness for her.  
  
Later that evening, Jed and Abbey returned to the Residence after placing flowers on Zoey's grave. Somehow, over the course of the day, their mourning turned into a time to cheerfully share fond memories of their youngest daughter. Perhaps it was hearing the voices of Liz and Ellie earlier that afternoon that reminded them to thank their blessings for ever having had Zoey in their lives in the first place. Or maybe it was just that now that they could mourn together, it wasn't quite as difficult as it had been the year before.  
  
Abbey began to get undressed as Jed turned down the sheets. In doing so, he found a pill bottle hidden behind the headboard. He looked at it for a second, knowing it wasn't his. He turned to his wife, who had her back to him as she put on her satin nightgown.  
  
"Abbey?" he called out to her.  
  
Abbey turned around to face him, quickly realizing that she had some explaining to do.  
  
Back in the press office, CJ packed up her things as she and Carol began to leave, not realizing they weren't alone. Emma was still at her desk and now that everyone was gone, it was time to make her move.  
  
She entered CJ's office and picked up the binder Toby had given her. After glancing over a few pages, a sinister smile came over her face. She reached for CJ's rolodex, tore out what she needed, and made her way to the fax machine. Emma dialed the number on the index card and took the pages out of the binder. Slowly, she fed them into the fax one by one, knowing that in the morning, Toby's secret plan would be front page news in The Washington Post.  
  
TBC 


	5. Chapter 5

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1  
  
Previously: Talking to CJ, Emma revealed that her fiance died during a botched operation in Boston, thanks to a surgeon who was on drugs, but she didn't tell her that surgeon was Abbey. After visiting Zoey's grave, Jed found a bottle of Abbey's pills in their bedroom. Emma leaked a secret file Toby had given to CJ about Social Security.  
Summary: Jed wants to know why Abbey hasn't gotten rid of her pills. CJ is on the receiving end of Jed's temper.  
  
"Abbey?" Jed called out to her.  
  
Abbey turned around to face him, quickly realizing that she had some explaining to do.  
  
"What the hell is this?" Jed asked her.  
  
Abbey grabbed the bottle out of his hand and ignored his question.  
  
"Abbey, answer me!" Abbey still didn't look back at him as she ignored him once again, sparking anger in him. "Abbey, damn it, stop it! Is it Valium?" He grabbed her arms and turned her towards him. "Talk to me!"  
  
"I'm not taking them, okay?" she replied, matching his tone and shrugging his hands away.  
  
"No, it's not okay. Do you remember the last time we went down this road? What the hell are you doing?"  
  
"I just need to have them with me."  
  
"As long as you have them with you, they're a crutch."  
  
"So what? What's wrong with having a crutch if you need one?"  
  
"I can't believe we're having this conversation."  
  
"Jed, I didn't take them. Okay, yes, I was tempted. Today was as hard for me as it was for you. I took them out this morning and stared at the bottle, but I didn't do it."  
  
"Then throw them away," he suggested. When Abbey walked away from him again, his temper hit the boiling point. "Don't turn your back on me. We're not finished with this!"  
  
"Yes, we are. I'm not going to talk to you about this until you calm down and stop yelling."  
  
"No, we're going to talk about it right now!" he shouted. When he got no response, he continued, "so that's how it's going to be? You decide when we talk about things? You don't want to talk about it now, Abbey, because you want to think of a way to shut me out! You're shutting down again!" After a long pause as he waited for her response, he finally concluded, "fine."  
  
Jed got into bed, pulling the covers over himself and turning his back to Abbey.  
  
Abbey sat on the edge of the bed and and stared at the back of her husband's head. They had been so careful not to fight like this since they began therapy. Even when they disagreed, they would sit down and talk. She promised him she would never close herself off again, and yet, that's exactly what she was doing. She reached out her hand and touched his shoulder. He squirmed away, making it clear he didn't want to feel her touch. His response brought a tear to Abbey's eye. Stung by his coldness, she layed down and turned away from him as well.  
  
After several minutes, Jed felt bad about his reaction to her. He couldn't take the silence anymore.  
  
"You said if we ever had a problem, we would talk, that you'd never shut me out again," he said, much calmer, but still not turning to face her.  
  
"I'm not shutting you out. I just don't know how to talk to you about this." she replied. "I can't explain why I want the pills the around. They make me feel safe. I'm doing the best I can. Just give me some time."  
  
Her voice broke with the last two sentences. She was hurting and Jed knew it. He rolled over to find his wife with her back to him, staring at the nightstand beside their bed. He stroked her back a few times, urging her to turn towards him. When she did, he put one arm under her neck and pulled her in close.  
  
"I'm sorry I yelled," he said after gently kissing her forehead.  
  
Abbey gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I should have told you I still had them."  
  
"I want you to make me a promise. If you ever think you need them, I want you to call me first. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, you interrupt me. You don't take a pill until we talk."  
  
"I promise," she replied, resting her head under his chin.  
  
"I love you," he assured her.  
  
"I love you too."  
  
The next morning, it was time to face the music. All hell was about to break loose and anyone who saw the front page of the paper knew that. Jed was still reeling from his confrontation with Abbey the night before. Though they had made up, things were far from settled and for Jed, it was difficult not to bring those feelings into work. Unfortunately, it would be CJ who would suffer his wrath. As the senior staff gathered in Leo's office, anger and outrage ensued.  
  
"We have a chain of command for a reason, Toby!" Leo shouted. "You had no right to go to the President with this before clearing it with me!"  
  
Jed knocked on Leo's door, letting himself in after hearing the shouting.  
  
"I told Toby not to go to you, or anyone else for that matter," Jed addressed Leo, trying to take some of the heat off Toby.  
  
"Social Security is not something you mess with behind the scenes like this," Leo continued.  
  
"We had a deal with Senator Jamison and no one was supposed to know until we sealed it," Toby explained.  
  
"Then what the hell happened?"  
  
Toby's eyes shifted to CJ. "I wish I knew."  
  
"Toby came to me," CJ began. "He told me it was private, he just wanted to brief me in case the press should start snooping around."  
  
"And you leaked it to the Post?" Leo asked.  
  
"No, of course not. I read it and left it in my desk last night. I don't know how the Post got it."  
  
"Where was it this morning?" Josh asked.  
  
"It was exactly where I had left it," CJ replied.  
  
"So who leaked it, CJ?" the President wanted to know.  
  
"I don't know, Sir."  
  
"You don't know? You're the Press Secretary! If you don't know, who the hell is going to?" Jed shouted.  
  
Leo stepped in, trying to calm the waters. "Sir, maybe you should go back to your office and let me handle this."  
  
"Forget it, Leo. CJ, did anyone have access to your desk while you were in the office yesterday?"  
  
"No, Sir."  
  
"And were you the last person to leave the press office last night?"  
  
"Yes, Sir, I was."  
  
"Well, you don't need a PhD. in Economics to add one plus one and get two."  
  
"Hang on," Josh interrupted. "CJ said she didn't leak it and I believe her."  
  
"Then that makes one person," Jed replied bitterly.  
  
"Mr. President..." Leo started before being interrupted by CJ.  
  
"I don't like what I've been accused of."  
  
"Look, CJ, I don't give a damn how you do it. You find out how the Post got the story. I don't want to see you or talk to you until you do."  
  
Jed left Leo's office, slamming the door on the way into the Oval. CJ glanced at Toby, angry with him for the suspicions written all over his face. She excused herself and headed back to her office.  
  
TBC 


	6. Chapter 6

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1  
  
Previously: Abbey admitted that though she's stopped taking her drugs, she can't bring herself to throw them away. Jed blamed CJ for leaking a secret report to the press, not realizing Emma was the one who actually did the deed.  
  
Summary: Abbey begs CJ not to resign. Jed has an invitation for Emma.  
  
When the First Couple had lunch that afternoon, Jed told Abbey about the blow-up in Leo's office, Abbey tried to convince him he had been too hard on CJ. They both knew CJ very well and she wasn't one to lie to either one of them. She always took responsibility for her mistakes and Abbey knew if she had leaked the story, she certainly wouldn't deny it and try to lay blame someone else. Deep down, Jed knew that too, but on the surface, he was still furious about the whole ordeal. CJ was the perfect scapegoat.  
  
As Jed returned to work, Abbey headed towards CJ's office to get the facts. CJ explained to her that she never would have leaked such a story to the press. She knew what would happen if it got out and she couldn't imagine why anyone, especially the President, would suspect her motives in her position as White House Press Secretary. Abbey tried to run interference, but it was too late for that.  
  
"Jed's been under a lot of stress lately. Let me talk to him," she offered.  
  
"No. It won't do any good. Honestly, Mrs. Bartlet, I've had enough."  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
"It means I'm thinking of resigning."  
  
Emma interrupted the conversation with a coy smile for both women.  
  
"Mrs. Bartlet, it's so good to see you again," she said reaching out to take the First Lady's hand.  
  
"You too," Abbey replied.  
  
"CJ, I want you to know that I heard what happened with that Social Security report and I feel so bad."  
  
"You don't know who was in here last, do you?"  
  
"No, I don't, but I think it's simply awful that you were blamed for it." Emma looked at both women and shrugged. "Well, I better get back to work."  
  
She left CJ and Abbey both wondering the same thing, but afraid to tell the other. Finally, Abbey broke the silence.  
  
"There's just something about her..."  
  
"Yes!" CJ interjected. "She's just..."  
  
"Too much," Abbey finished. "Which is why you can't resign."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"CJ, I've never trusted this girl and I trust her less now than I did when she was in college. You're my only true ally in the West Wing. I want to know what she's up to and what she has on Jed."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"There's something weird about her. I can't put my finger on it."  
  
"You think she just has a crush?"  
  
"I don't know. I used to think she did, but when her internship was over, we never heard from her again, until now."  
  
"Well, she was 21 and he was the Governor of her home state. I can see where she might have had a little crush."  
  
"Maybe back then. But now? She should be out with guys her own age."  
  
"She was engaged last year."  
  
"She was?" Abbey asked, a little surprised.  
  
"Yeah. He died after a car accident."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah." They both watched Emma for a few minutes before CJ turned the topic back to her frustration with the President. "Look, Mrs. Bartlet, I really do think the best thing for me to do right now is to resign. I can't work for him if he's not going to trust me."  
  
"CJ, he does trust you. Unfortunately, I think the majority of his frustration is directed at me. You just happened to be a convenient excuse. Please just give him some time to get over this. In the meantime, you can do me a favor. For now, let Emma deal with the President."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He said he doesn't want to hear from you until you find out who leaked the story, right? So whatever information you have for him, whenever you need to talk to him, brief Emma and let her do it instead."  
  
"You think she's the leak don't you?"  
  
"Yes, I do. And if that's true, then she has a goal in mind. The sooner we play along with her little game, the sooner we can find out what that goal is."  
  
CJ nodded in agreement.  
  
At the end of the day, it was Emma, not CJ, who met with the President and the rest of the senior staff. She claimed that CJ said she was too busy for the meeting herself, but everyone in the room knew that CJ was still angry, and everyone, including Jed, knew she had every right to be. He had been a jackass, as his wife would say. He took all the loyalty CJ had shown him over the past few years and threw it right back in her face. He felt ashamed, but he knew her well enough to give her some time to cool off before he approached her.  
  
After the others left, Emma asked Jed for a few moments, just the two of them. Jed agreed. To Jed's surprise, Emma wanted to use her one-on-one time with the President to plead CJ's case. She defended her boss, saying she would never intentionally hurt the Administration and despite how it looks, CJ leaking the story just wasn't a plausible scenario. Her plea did more for herself than it did for CJ, which she knew it would before she even started.  
  
Jed had always been impressed with her, but now her unwavering loyalty towards CJ only made him respect her even more. He gave her a hug and a soft kiss on the cheek before dismissing her.  
  
"Wait," he called out before she left the Oval Office. "What are your plans for Thanksgiving?"  
  
"I plan to throw a frozen turkey dinner into the microwave."  
  
"Just like I thought. You're coming to the Residence to have Thanksgiving dinner with me and Abbey."  
  
"I really don't want to intrude."  
  
"No intrusion. The girls will be there. You've never met Liz's husband and kids. Leo will be there too."  
  
"I don't know," she replied, still unsure.  
  
"I insist. Please."  
  
Emma smiled before accepting his invitation. Oh how she wished she could be a fly on the wall when Jed told Abbey. Despite her efforts to be charming towards her, she knew Abbey couldn't stand her. The First Lady only tolerated her because the President adored her. She couldn't wait to make a splash at her first Bartlet Thanksgiving.  
  
TBC 


	7. Chapter 7

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1  
  
Previously: Abbey convinced CJ to let Emma go to daily staff meetings with Jed so they could find out what Emma was up to. After finding out she had nowhere else to go, Jed invited Emma to Thanksgiving dinner in the Residence.  
  
Summary: Jed breaks the news about Thanksgiving to Abbey, expecting the worst. Later, Jed and CJ have a confrontation that leads to changes in the West Wing.  
  
Jed walked up to the Residence ready for the fight he was sure was coming with Abbey. He always had a soft heart and when Emma told him she'd be all alone for Thanksgiving, he pictured one of his own daughters sitting home alone on such a holiday. He felt he had no choice but to invite her to dinner. But he was certain Abbey wouldn't be as sympathetic to the young woman's situation.  
  
"Please don't get mad and don't throw things at me if you do," he pleaded.  
  
"What have you done?" she asked.  
  
"Emma and I had a long talk today and it turns out she's going to be all alone for Thanksgiving. So, I invited her to spend the day with us."  
  
Abbey took in the information, but her anger was soon overshadowed by her love for her wonderful husband. He was always so generous, so loving. Often times, even total strangers were the beneficiaries of his good-will. But this wasn't a stranger. This was a woman Abbey didn't trust, even though she couldn't explain why.  
  
"Abbey?" Jed called out her name, suspicious of her silence.  
  
Without saying a word, she grabbed him and gave him a long, steamy kiss before settling in a tight hug and whispering "I love you" in his ear before letting go.  
  
"I was so scared you were going to bite my head off," he said after he caught his breath.  
  
"Well, you're not off the hook. You should have checked with me, Jed."  
  
"I know I should have. I'm sorry."  
  
"I'm going to have to look across my table on Thanksgiving, of all days, and see a woman I can't stand."  
  
"You have no reason to hate her so much."  
  
"It's her. That's reason enough."  
  
"Abbey, what if it was one of our girls? What if Ellie couldn't make it home this year and she had no one to spend the day with? Would you be comfortable with that?"  
  
Abbey paused before answering. "I guess I can put up with her for one night if it's that important to you," she conceded.  
  
Jed put his arms around her waist, but she kept their upper bodies apart. "Thank you, Sweetheart."  
  
"Jed, I love you for being the loving, caring man you've always been. I just wish you would use those qualities discriminately. You and Emma have gotten very close."  
  
Jed wasn't sure what she meant by close, but he replied nonchalantly. "I respect her as a professional."  
  
"And where does that leave CJ?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You're not thinking about replacing CJ as your Press Secretary, are you?" Worried by the lack of response, she asked him again. "Jed, are you?"  
  
"No. Not unless CJ wants out."  
  
"You've thought about it, haven't you?"  
  
"CJ and I haven't been on the best of terms for quite a while now, Abbey. She's disillusioned by the whole Administration and frankly, that bugs the hell out of me."  
  
"Jed, you won't find a better Press Secretary than CJ. She's been an incredibly loyal member of your staff, even though you haven't always deserved her loyalty. You need to make amends with her."  
  
Jed stared at his wife, knowing she was right. CJ had always been the one who defended the Administration, who defended him, even when he knew what he had done was indefensible. She was front and center, taking the heat over the MS scandal and later the Shareef assassination. Of course she was disillusioned. Who wouldn't be? But she never betrayed him. And he knew in his heart that she hadn't betrayed him this time either. Abbey was right. He had given CJ enough time to stew in her anger. Now, he had to fix things.  
  
The next morning, he called for CJ to come to his office. He apologized to her for his accusation and asked her to resume all her regular duties as Press Secretary, including attending daily staff meetings with him. But CJ couldn't hold back her own anger. Jed had put her in a position where she felt she had to prove herself to her boss and to her colleagues. She resented him for making her feel that way.  
  
"I have never leaked a story that you didn't want leaked, Sir."  
  
"I know that."  
  
"Really? Is that why you accused me in front of everyone?"  
  
"You want a public apology?"  
  
"No, Sir, I really don't want your apology. What I want is for you to acknowledge what's going on here," she replied. She knew she was stepping over the line, but at that moment, she really didn't care.  
  
"Look, CJ..."  
  
"No, you look. All of last year, you walked around here tearing up the walls. We all gave you a break because of what you were going through with Zoey and the First Lady. That's no longer an excuse. I don't like being treated this way." Jed looked down at his desk, unable to look her in the eye. What she said next is what shocked him. "If you want Emma as your new Press Secretary, by all means, make it happen."  
  
"What does Emma have to do with this?"  
  
"She has everything to do with it because I think she's the one who leaked that file."  
  
"You're out of your mind."  
  
"No, Sir, I'm not. You're blinded by her charm, but underneath that school-girl exterior is a manipulative young woman and she's got you exactly where she wants you."  
  
"Have you been talking to my wife?"  
  
"You're the only one who can't see it."  
  
Jed circled around his desk and approached CJ, walking up to her face and closing off the space between them. "For your information, that 'manipulative young woman' spent an hour in my office yesterday defending you. She's not the monster you and Abbey have made her out to be."  
  
"You're an older man and she's a very pretty woman. The attention she gives you must be flattering, but..." CJ began while taking a few steps backwards.  
  
Jed was clearly angered by her assumption. He took a deep breath before beginning. "That's it, CJ. I'm done with this discussion. I've offered you an apology. Do with it what you want. If you'd rather resign, I welcome your resignation. That's all."  
  
CJ left without another word. Jed walked back over to his desk as Leo walked into Oval Office.  
  
"That was quite a scene," Leo said.  
  
"You shouldn't have been listening."  
  
"We can't lose CJ."  
  
"We already have," Jed replied bitterly.  
  
"Hey, what's going on?" Josh asked as he and Toby walked through Leo's office and poked their heads into the Oval.  
  
"CJ's quitting," Leo answered.  
  
"What? She can't quit."  
  
"This has gone too far. It's ridiculous!" Toby shouted before leaving to find CJ.  
  
That night, Jed entered the Residence hoping to find the same understanding Abbey he found the night before. Instead, he found an Abbey who seemed to be too busy making dinner to even talk to him about this. She had already exchanged notes with CJ and though his actions angered her, she figured the silence was the best way to avoid a fight.  
  
"I really wish we could discuss this," he told her.  
  
"There's no need, Jed. You have every right to hire and fire whomever you want."  
  
"I didn't fire her, Abbey."  
  
"You said you would welcome her resignation."  
  
"You should have heard the things she said to me."  
  
"Why is this girl that important to you?" she asked him, finally turning to look at him.  
  
"It's not about Emma. I swear it's not."  
  
"I agree with CJ. I think Emma leaked that story."  
  
"You have no proof of that."  
  
"That didn't stop you from accusing CJ."  
  
"I apologized for that."  
  
Abbey turned back to cutting up her vegetables. Jed walked over to the counter and asked if she wanted him to have the cooks send something up, hoping it would give them a chance to sit and down and talk this out. When she refused, he began to walk out.  
  
"I have that right too, you know," she said, stopping him from leaving.  
  
"What?" he asked as he turned towards her.  
  
"To hire and fire whomever I want. I decided to hire CJ as my Press Secretary."  
  
"You already have a several press people, Abbey."  
  
"Yes, and they all do an excellent job, but I didn't have an official press secretary -- until today."  
  
"What is this, a showdown of the dueling press secretaries?" Jed asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"You keep your girl in line and I'll do the same with mine," she told him as she walked out of the kitchen.  
  
TBC 


	8. Chapter 8

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1  
  
Previously: Jed and CJ's confrontation ended with CJ's resignation. Abbey was furious over the situation and hired CJ herself.  
  
Summary: Emma is the new WH Press Secretary! It's Thanksgiving at the White House.  
  
The next several days were a period of adjustment. Emma took over as White House Press Secretary, giving her even more access to Jed. There were staff meetings, one-on-one meetings, and occasionally, just late-evening chats between the two. Emma was able to glean all the information she needed about the inner-workings of the Oval Office, and she learned some interesting tidbits about the President as well.  
  
She now knew that, with Admiral Hackett's permission, Jed kept a bottle of steroids in his desk, in case he were to resume treatment for his MS. During one of her visits to the Oval, she managed to replace the real steroids with a benign proxy she received from her twin sister -- a pharmacist in New England.  
  
Meanwhile, in the East Wing, CJ was adapting to her new role as Press Secretary for the First Lady. Despite Toby and Josh's pleas for reconsideration, CJ stood her ground. She had been deeply insulted and hurt, not only by Jed, but by Toby's suspicions as well and though she accepted Toby's apology, it was easy to see the matter was not completely resolved.  
  
Her new role as Abbey's spokesperson wasn't as challenging as being White House Press Secretary, but then again, it wasn't as stressful either. The truth was, she never would have taken this position if Abbey hadn't begged her to. Emma had Jed wrapped so tightly around her finger that it frightened Abbey. She needed her ally close by if her suspicions of Emma were proven to be true.  
  
Besides, Abbey knew that though Jed and CJ were going through a rough patch, her husband loved and adored CJ and he would eventually realize how valuable she was to him. She wanted CJ at the White House when that happened, instead of risking her being snatched up by some other government agency.  
  
Back in the Residence, things were a bit tense between the First Couple, but they, too, were adjusting. They talked about Abbey's intense dislike of Emma during therapy sessions and Jed had considered firing Emma because of it, but each time, he changed his mind. He realized that Abbey's feelings weren't wrapped in anything conclusive. It was just her intuition working in overdrive. Abbey knew that too, so she didn't push the issue too often. Part of her always hoped she was wrong about Emma. After all, life with her husband would be much easier if she was. For the sake of peace between them, she agreed to let the Emma issue rest unless she had substantial proof to back up her feelings.  
  
Now that Thanksgiving Day was finally here, Jed hoped her new outlook would mean his wife would welcome their guest with open arms. To Abbey's credit, she tried. But thanks to Emma's scheme, she failed miserably.  
  
Elizabeth and Ellie both returned to the White House for the feast, Liz's husband Doug and kids Annie and Gus in tow. Charlie and Leo also joined the family. Emma, who had eventually accepted Jed's invitation, promised to make a splash, and that she did.  
  
Thanks to her sister, Emma was now a master at using drugs to manipulate her victims. To her advantage, no one knew she knew all about Abbey's past drug addiction. And so far, it was only Abbey and CJ who remained suspicious of her, so who would believe that she'd drug Abbey just to cause trouble between the First Couple? It was an implausible theory, but that was part of the attraction for Emma. Anything a bit unrealistic, a bit challenging, and she was sure to find a way to do it.  
  
She excused herself to the restroom where she took out a baggie of pills from her purse. She placed one pill on the countertop and crushed it with a razor blade. When she rejoined the party, she slipped the crushed drug into Abbey's drink and waited for it to take affect. This was not the anti-anxiety drugs Abbey's body had been used to. This would do the opposite. This was methamphetamine, or speed.  
  
It didn't take long for the First Lady to begin to feel a bit nervous. But that feeling was soon masked by the incredible high she was experiencing. It was clear to everyone there that Abbey was not herself. At first, her behavior was somewhat comical and created a distraction that Emma used to slip the unused pills into Abbey's purse. But eventually, Jed got frustrated with his wife's loose demeanor. She wasn't the gracious hostess she usually was. Now, all her inhibitions were gone and she was loud, obnoxious, and even crude.  
  
She flirted a bit with Leo just before Jed pulled her aside to try to find out what had gotten into her. Jed didn't think much of it when the evening began, but Emma certainly noticed, and as Jed eventually seethed in the corner, she took a mental note of the situation and approached him under the guise of concern.  
  
"It's none of my business," she started.  
  
"But?"  
  
"But maybe she's just having a reaction to her medication."  
  
"My wife's not on any medication."  
  
"She's not? But I saw..." she cut herself off on purpose, knowing he would ask her to continue.  
  
"You saw what?"  
  
"Nothing. I'm sure I'm wrong."  
  
"Emma?"  
  
"I thought I saw her putting some pills or something in her purse. Like I said, I'm probably wrong."  
  
Emma's goal was to make Jed doubt Abbey's sobriety, and at that moment, she knew that was exactly what she had done.  
  
Charlie left the party early and by mid-evening, Leo walked Emma out, then left himself, wanting to get away from the obvious scene that was brewing in the Residence. Jed waited for Ellie, Liz, and her family to go to bed before pulling Abbey into the bedroom.  
  
"What's the matter with you?" he asked her, trying to keep his voice down.  
  
"It's Thanksgiving and I'm thankful! Is that a problem?"  
  
"What the hell are you on, Abbey?"  
  
"Nothing," she responded, resenting his accusatory tone.  
  
"Really? Let's take a look."  
  
Jed took Abbey's purse and emptied the contents on the bed in front of her. Among the other items, lay a baggie full of little white tablets. He wasn't sure what he was looking at, but for the first time, he lost faith in Abbey.  
  
"Jed, I don't know where those came from," she insisted.  
  
"Save it, Abbey! We had a deal. You would talk to me if you ever felt you needed drugs again."  
  
She was speechless. The pills were pretty incriminating, not to mention the fact that she was still high and wasn't thinking very clearly.  
  
"All these months, you were doing so well," he lectured as she took a seat on the bed. "What the hell happened?"  
  
He continued on with his rant until she began to curl up on the bed. Then his loving, concerned side took over.  
  
"Abbey? What's wrong?"  
  
"I'm just so dizzy all of a sudden."  
  
"I'll get a doctor."  
  
"No!" she shouted, stopping him in his tracks. "A doctor can't see me now."  
  
Jed knew what she meant. A doctor couldn't evaluate her while she was high. They couldn't take a chance that anyone else would find out. Instead, Jed ran to the bathroom and got a damp wash cloth to place on her forehead.  
  
"Jed," Abbey called out to him as she reached out her hand. Jed took her hand in his and stroked it as he patted her face with the washcloth.  
  
"It's okay, babe. I'm staying right here," he told her.  
  
It wasn't exactly what Emma had planned. She believed Jed would turn his back on Abbey if she had a relapse. She didn't expect him to sit in a chair next to the bed and spend the rest of the night nursing Abbey back to health.  
  
TBC 


	9. Chapter 9

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1  
  
Previously: Thanksgiving was a disaster for Abbey after Emma slipped speed into her drink then placed the unused drugs into her purse. Jed sat at Abbey's bedside as she recovered.  
  
Summary: Jed struggles to understand his wife's behavior. Emma schemes to break up the First Couple.  
  
It wasn't exactly what Emma had planned. She believed Jed would turn his back on Abbey if she went back to drugs. She didn't expect him to sit in a chair next to the bed and spend the rest of the night nursing his wife back to health.  
  
Jed stripped Abbey's clothes off so she would be more comfortable. It was only after he was sure she was sleeping soundly that he got up and got himself ready for bed. He slid under the covers and snuggled up next to her, just as he had done so many other times when she was sick. For Abbey, just having his body so close to hers always seemed to make her feel better. Besides, he made a promise to stay right by her side all night. He intended to keep that promise.  
  
Jed eventually tried to sleep, but his eyes kept popping open the second she made any sound. He was concerned about what she had taken and if her condition deteriorated in any way, he had already decided to risk the chance of public scrutiny in favor of getting her medical attention.  
  
The next morning, he threw away the remainder of the pills he took out of Abbey's purse. He placed two aspirin and a glass of water on the nightstand, in case she needed them, and left for his office before she woke up.  
  
Ellie and Liz were getting ready to leave by mid-morning and when he returned to the Residence to say his goodbyes, Abbey was still asleep. He gently woke her up so she could see her girls off then left the Residence before he began arguing with her again. He was well aware that the last thing Abbey needed right now was a lecture from him, but it was extremely difficult to hide his anger and disappointment.  
  
It was the Friday after Thanksgiving and the hallways in the West Wing were more vacant than usual. Many staffers had the holiday off and wouldn't be back until Monday. Truth be told, there wasn't any work that he couldn't put off until after the holiday weekend, but for Jed, sitting in his office and getting an early start on work he'd have to do the following week was a better alternative than facing Abbey with the discussion he knew they had to have.  
  
He was upset that she fell off the wagon. But the worst part was that even when he caught her, she was still lying about it. He didn't know how to help her anymore. The last time they went through this, it took its toll on both of them. He wasn't sure either of them had the strength to do it again. He wasn't sure their marriage could survive all the stress that went along with it.  
  
"A penny for your thoughts," Emma said to Jed as Charlie showed her in to the Oval Office.  
  
"I'm sorry?"  
  
"What's the matter?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Jed quickly answered.  
  
"I just wanted you to know that I had a lovely time last night. And I apologize if I was out of line with what I said about the First Lady."  
  
Jed dismissed her apology. "No, no, you weren't out of line."  
  
"How is she this morning?"  
  
"She's fine," he lied. "She slept late."  
  
"I bet. It isn't true, is it?"  
  
"What isn't true?"  
  
"All those rumors from before. Did the First Lady have a drug problem?"  
  
"Yes, she did," he replied impulsively.  
  
Jed paused for a second. As soon as the words left his lips, he wanted to take them back. His first instinct was always to lie when asked about Abbey's addiction. Perhaps it was his anger that made him reply so truthfully now. He thought about lying to cover up his straight-forwardness, but, obviously, protecting Abbey wasn't going to work if she insisted on going down this same path all over again.  
  
Emma took a seat in front of him, crossing her legs flirtatiously and gently brushing her wavy blonde locks off the side of her face. "I'm sorry."  
  
"She beat it. I'm very proud of her for that. She fought hard and she won," he admitted, trying to abruptly end the conversation and ignore her playful demeanor.  
  
"Are you sure? I mean, last night..."  
  
"Last night was a lapse in judgment."  
  
Emma politely nodded in agreement. "You know, my uncle had a similar problem. It drove my aunt nuts."  
  
"What did your aunt do?"  
  
Emma looked at him, feigning sympathy in her big, blue eyes. "She gave him an ultimatum. Her or the drugs."  
  
Jed didn't even hesitate. He immediately shook his head. "That's not an option with Abbey."  
  
"I'm just saying sometimes that's what needs to be done to get through to the person."  
  
"No. I'm not going to back Abbey into a corner like that," he insisted firmly.  
  
"You're right. She probably wouldn't respond like my uncle did anyway," she finally said, trying to ease the tension. "Well, I've got to get back to work."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Emma rose to her feet and began to walk towards the door. "Good luck when you talk to her tonight."  
  
"It probably won't be tonight. She has plans with CJ."  
  
"With CJ? Are you sure?" she asked as she turned back around.  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"I just talked to CJ. She has a date tonight with that new guy Mark in Advance."  
  
Though he tried to cover his surpise, Jed was speechless. He dismissed Emma, then sat down in his chair, lost in thought. Why would Abbey lie to him yet again, and about something like this? If she wasn't going out with CJ, where was she going?  
  
Even though he tried to hide it, Emma sensed his dismay at the information she had given him. She, too, wondered where Abbey was going that even her husband couldn't know.  
  
Hours later, she set out to discover what the First Lady was really up to. She waited outside the Residence, hoping to catch a glimpse of her if she left. She thought her eyes were deceiving her when she saw Leo and Abbey leave together, headed towards the OEOB. She knew it was her lucky day. The President would be furious when he found out his wife lied so she could sneak around with his Chief of Staff. Her plan had just sped up out of control and she didn't even have to lift a finger.  
  
Emma returned to the Oval Office, armed with the knowledge that she was sure would drive Jed over the edge. She had followed Leo and Abbey into the basement of the building, where they went into a private room, guarded by an agent standing outside. Jed couldn't believe his ears. There had to be some mistake, he reasoned. But Emma stood firm, claiming it was all true.  
  
Jed had to see it with his own eyes. He left the West Wing and headed towards the OEOB. As he arrived, the meeting was breaking up and Abbey and Leo were the first to leave the room.  
  
Abbey paused immediately outside the door. "Jed?"  
  
"Night out with the girls, huh?" he asked.  
  
"Mr. President, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I could ask you the same question, Leo."  
  
As the other members of the group exited the room, they were each surprised to see the President. They weren't as surprised as Jed was to see them.  
  
"You shouldn't be here," Abbey whispered. "How did you even know about this place?"  
  
Jed had no intention of meeting his wife's low voice. "I'm the one asking the questions. What the hell is going on?"  
  
"Jed, calm down," Leo warned.  
  
"I'll deal with you in a minute, Leo."  
  
"No, you won't," Abbey interjected. "We're not doing this here. Let's go home." Turning to Leo, she continued, "Leo, I'll talk to you tomorrow."  
  
Abbey walked away, as Leo headed in the opposite direction. Jed followed Abbey back to the White House. When they walked through the door back in the Residence, she slammed it shut and turned to face her husband.  
  
"What the hell was that all about?" she asked angrily taking off her coat and tossing it on the sofa.  
  
"Excuse me, you're mad at me? You're the one who lied to me -- again!"  
  
"I had a good reason."  
  
"You always do. What is it this time, that you're screwing around with Leo?"  
  
Jed looked down at his feet. His sarcastic question sparked silence between them. Abbey was shocked that he could accuse her of such a thing and Jed, though confused and suspicious, really didn't believe it anyway. His outburst even surprised him.  
  
"I am not screwing around with Leo," Abbey eventually said.  
  
"Abbey, you tell me you're going out with CJ, then I find you in a locked room with eight men. What am I supposed to think?"  
  
"Oh, right, Jed. I'm in a closet having an orgy with members of Congress!" After a brief pause, she continued, "you're supposed to think that I would never betray you. Leo has been taking me to his AA metings, Jed. That's what tonight was."  
  
Jed stared at her, a sense of relief taking over his emotions. "What?"  
  
"You saw who was in that room. That's why they're private meetings. The agent outside tells people it's a card game."  
  
Jed felt simply awful. How could he ever accuse Abbey of cheating on him? How could he have listened to Emma's suspicions? She didn't know Abbey the way he did. Abbey had every right to be furious with him, to give him the silent treatment, to make him beg her forgiveness.  
  
"Abbey, I don't know what came over me," he began, too ashamed to look at her.  
  
Abbey walked over to him and lifted his face so his eyes looked into hers. "How could you think that? I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth about where I was going, but the meetings are private -- none of us tell anyone, not even our spouses."  
  
His eyes glanced down again. "I don't know what to say."  
  
She could see the remorse in his face. They had been fighting so much lately that all she wanted to do was hold him and pretend this never happened. "Say you love me, Jackass."  
  
With a slight grin, Jed assured her, "I do love you. I love you so much and I'm so sorry."  
  
"How did you find us anyway?"  
  
He knew he had to tell her the truth, but was sure it would initiate another fight. He held his held his breath and blurted it out. "I didn't. Emma followed you."  
  
Abbey put her hands on his chest and pushed him back, angered by his admission. "Why was she following us?"  
  
"She knew you lied about having plans with CJ."  
  
"How the hell did she even know I told you that?" The silence from Jed was all she needed to confirm her suspicions. "So what are you doing, conspiring with her against me now?"  
  
"Of course not."  
  
"She's the one who convinced you I was cheating on you, and you believed her." It wasn't a question. "I'm finished feeling guilty, Jed. I've given you so much leeway because I still felt bad about how I treated you last year and about lying to you about the AA meetings. But I'm done."  
  
"What does that mean?" he asked her.  
  
"It means I've had it with being understanding about your relationship with Emma! I don't understand it and I'm not sure I want to."  
  
"Abbey, please. You're overreacting."  
  
"Maybe I'm the one who should be suspicious."  
  
"Of what?"  
  
"Of you! Of your feelings for her! Of why you're doing this, why you're letting this woman you barely know turn you against me."  
  
"That isn't what I'm doing."  
  
"Really? Then you believe me when I tell you that I didn't put those pills in my purse last night?"  
  
Jed shifted uncomfortably. He desperately wanted to believe her, but his trust in her had been shaken by the constant deceit. He didn't need to say anything more. His silence spoke volumes to Abbey.  
  
"You know what Jed, get out of my sight. I can't even look at you right now."  
  
Her words stung him. He left the Residence and walked back to the West Wing to look for Emma. He needed to set the record straight. He couldn't let Emma continue thinking that Abbey had been unfaithful.  
  
When he arrived at the press office, she was sitting alone at her desk. Jed could tell from behind that she was crossing something out on a newspaper clipping. It was when he got closer that he realized the clipping was of Abbey and that Emma was crossing out her face with the sharpest pair of scissors she could find.  
  
TBC 


	10. Chapter 10

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1  
  
Previously: After Emma tried to convince him that Leo and Abbey are having an affair, Jed confronted Abbey and found out about the secret AA meetings. Jed left an angry Abbey to clear things up with Emma and walked in on her carving up Abbey's face in a newspaper clipping.  
  
Summary: Jed finally confronts Emma, then tries to make amends with his wife.  
  
Jed slowly approached Emma. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. There she was, silently carving an "X" through Abbey's face in the newspaper. He tried to hold himself back and reamin calm, but it didn't work.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked as a startled Emma stood up and turned to face him.  
  
"Nothing," she replied, quickly shoving the clipping back in her drawer.  
  
Jed placed his hands on her shoulders and moved her out of the way. He opened the drawer and pulled out the clipping."This doesn't look like nothing. You're cutting up my wife's face."  
  
"It's an old article. I was just messing around."  
  
"Some might say that messing around like this is a sign of someone who needs serious help," Jed remarked as he walked around her, still amazed by her actions.  
  
"I was just getting out my frustration. I hate how she hurts you."  
  
"Hurts me?" he questioned.  
  
"Yes. Lying to you all the time, sneaking around with your Chief of Staff."  
  
"Abbey was not sneaking around."  
  
"Don't make excuses for her! She's not worth it," Emma blurted out.  
  
Jed felt his temper rise. Hearing Emma speak those words about Abbey infuriated him. In all the time they had been married, he never allowed anyone to talk that way about Abbey. To him, her love was worth everything in the world and though his recent actions may not have shown it, he would sacrifice anything he had to if he felt their marriage was in jeopardy.  
  
He menacingly approached Emma until she took a tiny step back, feeling uncomfortable with the situation.  
  
"Don't ever say that about her again," he clamly warned.  
  
"I'm sorry," Emma admitted, sensing his agitation.  
  
Jed eyed her up and down. "They were right, weren't they? This was all your little way of manipulating me."  
  
She decided to put on the charm, hoping to distract him. She walked closer to him, lowered her head, and batted her blue eyes up at his. "I don't know what you mean, Sir."  
  
Her voice sounded serious, yet innocent, but Jed didn't buy it. "Oh please. It's not cute any more, Emma! I'm not sure it ever was. You set this whole thing up. You wanted me to distrust my wife. You wanted me to think she was cheating on me, so...what? So I would hop into bed with you?"  
  
Well, at least he didn't know what her real plan was, Emma thought. As long as he hadn't discovered her true motivations, she was still safe. She'd just have to come up with a new plan.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered insincerely and seductively, still only inches from his body.  
  
Jed stepped back and looked at her with disgust in his eyes. "Pack your things. Security will collect your credentials and show you out. You're fired."  
  
"Because I insulted the First Lady?"  
  
"No, because of this!" He grabbed the ripped-up clipping of Abbey and shoved it in her face. "Because you purposely tried to convince me she was out with Leo and because it took me an awfully long time to realize she was right about you. You're not sweet and innocent. You weren't being a friend. You were trying to cause trouble." He took a deep breath before turning to look her straight in the eye. "No one comes between me and my wife," he told her as he rushed off, desperate to find Abbey.  
  
"Abbey?" he called out when he entered the bedroom.  
  
Abbey was already asleep in bed. Jed approached her slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. He kneeled down beside her and gently brushed a few stray strands of her auburn hair out of her face. At that moment, he was filled with regret. He should have listened to his wife's suspicions. She had been right all along. Emma's motives were insincere and even though it was just for a brief moment in time, he had doubted Abbey's fidelity and devotion.  
  
He got undressed and crawled into bed next to her, knowing that the next day, he'd have a lot to make up for. He promised himself he'd do whatever he had to to make it all up to her.  
  
The next morning, the sound of Abbey stirring around woke Jed up. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, causing her to open her eyes and gaze up at her husband.  
  
"Hey, beautiful."  
  
"Good morning."  
  
"We have to talk, Sweetheart."  
  
"Okay," Abbey replied as she sleepily sat up, pulling her pillow up against the headboard to support her back.  
  
"First of all, I was not conspiring with Emma against you. I would never conspire with anyone against you," he began. "Secondly, I never should have doubted you."  
  
"No, you shouldn't have. But you did last night and you did the night before when you thought I was high."  
  
"Honey, there was something wrong with you. You weren't acting like yourself. You came back here and collapsed on the bed."  
  
"Here we go again..."  
  
"No. Abbey, I believe you. I don't know what was wrong with you the other night or how the pills ended up in your purse, but I'll never doubt you again."  
  
"Emma put them in my purse."  
  
"That's certainly a possibility, but we don't know that for sure."  
  
"Jed, if you say one more word to defend her..."  
  
Jed placed a finger over her lips, urging her to let him finish. "This isn't about that." When he realized she was listening, he continued. "I fired Emma last night."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She wanted me to think you were with Leo so she could be there to comfort me."  
  
"To make a play for you, you mean?"  
  
"Yeah. It didn't work, Abbey, I swear. She never touched me." Abbey looked away, sparking uncertainty in Jed. "You believe me?"  
  
"Of course, but it doesn't change what's happened. You let her manipulate us, Jed."  
  
"You're right." Jed got out of bed and pulled on his robe. He walked back to Abbey's side and kneeled down beside her, brushing the hair off her forehead just like he had the night before. "I wanted to believe she was just looking up to me. Back in New Hampshire, she told me once that she and her twin sister practically raised themselves. Her father was killed when they were four years old and her mom was a drunk who neglected them. I guess I wanted to be a father-figure to her."  
  
"By letting her alienate everyone else in your life?"  
  
"It's not an excuse. Just an explanation. There is no excuse. I screwed up big time. Please tell me what I can to do make things right," he begged her as he continued to stroke her face. "Abbey?"  
  
Abbey pushed his hands away angrily and positioned herself further from the edge of the bed. "Nothing, Jed! You can't go back in time. I told you there was something wrong with that woman. I told you that years ago, and then I told you again after you told CJ to hire her."  
  
Jed put his hands on the bed to lift himself up. "Abbey."  
  
"And what about CJ? You fired the only completely loyal Press Secretary you'll ever have because she dared to speak the truth about your precious Emma!"  
  
"Don't call her that! She's not my precious anything. And what happened between me and CJ was about much more than just Emma."  
  
"No, it really wasn't. You blamed CJ for something that Emma did."  
  
"We don't know that."  
  
"You're still defending her!"  
  
"It's not about defending her, Abbey. It's about getting to the truth."  
  
"Is that word even in Emma's vocabulary?"  
  
Jed paused, knowing that Abbey had a right to be angry with Emma. But her reaction to what he was about to tell her is what he feared. He sat on the bed next to her and looked down at her fiery green eyes.  
  
"There's something else I need to tell you."  
  
She realized from the tone of his voice that it wouldn't be something she wanted to hear. "What?"  
  
"I told her about your drug addiction."  
  
"When?"  
  
"Yesterday."  
  
Abbey angrily pushed the covers off her body and crawled to the side opposite him to get out of bed. "During your little heart-to-heart?"  
  
Jed stood up and walked around to her. He reached out to hold her, "Abbey, come here."  
  
Abbey bitterly shrugged his hands away, "so much for keeping it out of the tabloids," she said as she retreated into the bathroom.  
  
TBC 


	11. Chapter 11

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1  
  
Previously: Jed fired Emma after finally seeing through her manipulation. Abbey was still angry about Jed's recent behvaior and the fact that he told Emma about her past drug addiction.  
  
Summary: It's a showdown between Emma and Abbey.  
  
The next few weeks tested First Couple's devotion and love. Abbey felt betrayed by her husband. She listened to Jed's apologies over and over again, but she still felt anger towards Jed. She knew she'd get over it, eventually, now that Emma was finally out of the West Wing. What she didn't count on was being a target for the deranged young woman even after her departure.  
  
It had been less than three weeks since Jed had fired her, and already, the Secret Service was intercepting messages from Emma to Abbey. They weren't threatening messages, but they were messages that Ron Butterfield felt Jed should know about.  
  
In her letters, Emma wrote that she enjoyed her time at the White House and that she was sorry it was so brief. She told Abbey that Jed was a good man and that she shouldn't find comfort in the arms of Leo McGarry -- that Jed wouldn't forgive her if he knew the truth. It was obviously the writing of a delusional person, but it didn't come across as crazed and demented. Perhaps that was strangest part. She wrote to Abbey as if she was her best girlfriend, just giving her some advice.  
  
Jed didn't tell Abbey about the letters. He didn't have to. Abbey had heard about them from her staff, some of whom had seen them. She didn't know what she had done to become Emma's target, other than never taking a liking to her. But she realized it had to be more than that. Was it really all about winning Jed's love, she wondered, or did Emma have some other motive for trying to separate her from her husband? She needed CJ's help to find out.  
  
"I have a project for you, CJ," Abbey said to her as she walked in to her office. "I want to figure out a way to find out exactly what our dear friend Emma is up to."  
  
"What do you have in mind?"  
  
"I want to talk to her."  
  
"Ma'am, I really don't think that's a good idea."  
  
"CJ, she's been out of this place for three weeks and she's still harassing me. I need to know what she's after."  
  
"What does it matter? She's gone. In a few weeks, she'll get bored with her little letter-writing campaign and that'll be the end of it."  
  
"It matters, CJ. I have to know. And I have to be ready in case..."  
  
"In case what?"  
  
"In case she ever slithers back into our lives."  
  
CJ saw the determination on her face and realized that that stubborn streak Jed always spoke about was very much visible. She knew Abbey would go see Emma with or without her, so she agreed to tag along. if for no other reason, to be there in case things turned ugly.  
  
The two women left the White House and made their way to Emma's apartment, with Abbey's agent not too far behind. When Emma answered her door to see them standing in front her, her immediate reaction was to close it right away. CJ held it open and she and Abbey made their way inside. Abbey's agent stayed outside.  
  
"What do you want?" Emma asked them.  
  
"I want to know why," Abbey answered.  
  
"Why what?"  
  
Abbey circled around her, glaring at the posters and photos on her wall. "You're very good at this, Emma. You had my husband fooled for quite some time. Jed thinks you simply wanted to come between us so you could seduce him." She turned to look at Emma. "You and I both know there's more to it than that."  
  
"Your husband's as delusional as you are," she answered, sparking anger in Abbey.  
  
"Don't talk about him like that," she warned with coldness in her eyes.  
  
"You've said worse."  
  
"I'm allowed. He's my husband. You watch your mouth!"  
  
Emma chuckled at her serious tone and expression. "Or what? Are you threatening me?"  
  
Abbey ignored her question and continued with her own. "You're still sending me letters. Obviously, this isn't over. So tell us why."  
  
Emma laughed hysterically. "And why would I want to do that?"  
  
"Because you're not stupid. You put in all this time and energy and you're after something and we'll eventually find out what it is." CJ interjected.  
  
Abbey contined to glance around the room. Her eyes were drawn to one framed photograph that lay among the momentos scattered all over Emma's apartment. It was a picture of Emma and a man, presumably her boyfriend. They made a very attractive-looking couple, her with the thin, yet tall frame and long, wavy blonde hair and him, the tall, dark, and handsome stranger, with chestnut brown hair and piercing green eyes. To Abbey, though, he was no stranger. She had seen that man before and she wouldn't soon forget him.  
  
Emma followed Abbey's stare and realized what had grabbed her attention, she reached over and pulled the picture frame face-down. It was too late. Abbey already put the pieces together and Emma knew that.  
  
"He was your boyfriend?" Abbey hesitantly asked.  
  
"Who? What's going on?" CJ asked, completely oblivious to the revelation.  
  
Emma's demeanor changed entirely. She immediately became defensive. "Try fiance."  
  
Abbey nodded as she mentally began putting the pieces together. "Is that why?"  
  
"Don't flatter yourself. I didn't come here because of you, though the thought of being here to watch you lie to everyone over and over again certainly was appealing."  
  
As Emma approached Abbey, CJ stood in between. "You're getting too close," she said to Emma.  
  
"You really need your bodyguard here for this?" Emma asked Abbey, referring to CJ.  
  
CJ took a few steps closer to Emma to physically force her to back up. "Here for what?"  
  
"The First Lady didn't tell you? She killed Michael."  
  
Abbey cringed at the mention of his name. After all this time, she couldn't bring herself to ever say it. She never referred to him by name. It was always just her "patient."  
  
"Who's Michael?"  
  
"This is Michael!" Emma exclaimed shoving the picture in front of CJ, then in front of Abbey. "Take a good look! This is who you took from me!" she shouted as CJ pulled her arms back.  
  
"Back off, Emma! There's an agent standing right outside the door, waiting for my signal. This isn't a line you want to cross!" CJ warned.  
  
Abbey was paralyzed by shock. She couldn't talk or move. This is why Emma was in their lives. This is why she did all the things she did. She wanted to take Jed away, the same way Abbey had taken Michael away. Finally, it all made sense to her.  
  
"Abbey, let's go," CJ whispered to Abbey.  
  
Abbey turned to leave as Emma grabbed CJ's arm, pulling her back to face her.  
  
"You keep her the hell away from me," Emma said.  
  
CJ harshly shrugged her hand away. "You don't have to worry about that."  
  
As the two exchanged words, Abbey stared down at a pink journal on the counter in front of her. She reached over and discreetly put it in her purse before CJ ushered her out.  
  
Back in the West Wing, Jed was furiously trying to get his work done before he and Abbey left for Christmas in Manchester. It was a holiday they always looked forward to, but no year more than this. Last Christmas, they spent the day apart, marred by the trouble they were having after Zoey's death. None of the family felt like celebrating, so other than a few calls back and forth between Jed and his daughters, the day had come and gone without any recognition whatsoever. This year, they were going to make up for that.  
  
Aside from the problems generated by Emma, Jed had something else on his plate. Leo had reminded him that morning that they still hadn't hired a new Press Secretary. In the meantime, another deputy from the Communications Department was handling the briefings, but he was out of his league in the press room. Josh, Sam, and Toby had too much on their plate, and the press was getting sick of all the changes. He knew what he should do -- ask CJ to come back, this time with a bigger, more sincere apology than before. But first, he'd have to talk to Abbey since CJ was her employee now.  
  
Meanwhile, when CJ and Abbey arrived back at the White House, Abbey informed her staff she would be taking the rest of the day off. She invited CJ to the Residence, where she was sure they would be alone. CJ's curiosity wouldn't let her pass up the offer. She still hadn't fit all the pieces of the puzzle. She didn't know why Emma accused Abbey of killing her fiance, until she thought back to the conversation she had with Emma before Thanksgiving. Emma had said that her fiance died because the surgeon performing the operation was high.  
  
Finally, it all came together. Abbey's drug problem, her time in Boston, and the timing of her trip back to the White House. Silence filled the room, but the words didn't need to be said. Abbey knew she had enough information to figure it out for herself. CJ looked up at the First Lady quizzically, as if waiting for confirmation that she was the surgeon Emma was talking about.  
  
Abbey looked into her friend's eyes and simply nodded.  
  
TBC 


	12. Chapter 12

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1  
  
Previously: CJ and Abbey confronted Emma and Abbey discovered her true motives. They swiped Emma's journal on the way out.  
  
Summary: Abbey lets CJ in on what happened in Boston. Jed gets a disturbing call from Emma that makes him rush Abbey to New Hampshire. Abbey forgives Jed.  
  
"You were the surgeon?" CJ asked, her voice dripping with disbelief.  
  
"You have to believe me when I tell you I wasn't high, CJ. I was trying to get off drugs. I went into work that night and I shouldn't have. It was a horrible mistake, one I'll never be able to forgive myself for."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I froze. I couldn't perform the operation. By the time they got another surgeon, he was in such bad shape. His body couldn't take the trauma."  
  
"Has that ever happened to do you before? Have you ever..."  
  
"Once. When in the Oval Office." CJ finished the sentence for her. "Does anyone know about Boston?"  
  
"Only the doctors in the room and, of course, Jed."  
  
CJ knew it would be a PR nightmare if the press found out. She was surprised it hadn't already leaked out. But that was thanks to how Emma planned it. Abbey and CJ didn't realize Emma's real goal was to kill Jed. They simply assumed Emma wanted to break up the couple, hoping to cause Abbey the same kind of pain she felt when Michael died. Even knowing her motivation, they continued to severely underestimate their opponent.  
  
In the West Wing, Jed answered his phone only to be patched through the person he least wanted to speak to -- Emma.  
  
"How did you get through?" he asked her.  
  
"I still have connections," she answered. "It's not a social call, Jed."  
  
Emma had never called him Jed before. Something about the way she said it now sent a chill down his spine. He was eager to get rid of her. "What do you want?"  
  
"Your wife was in here earlier, playing detective."  
  
"What?"  
  
"And now, my journal is missing. I want it back."  
  
"You're insane," he told her as Leo entered Oval Office, curious about who was on the phone.  
  
"No, I'm not, but if I don't get it back by the end of the day, Abbey Bartlet is going to be one sorry woman."  
  
Jed held his temper at bay and simply grinned at the woman's naivete. "You really aren't as smart as I thought you were. You just threatened the First Lady on a secure line. The FBI will haul your ass to..."  
  
Emma quickly dismissed his thought before he had a chance to finish it. "I'm not worried about metal bars, Jed. If I were you, I'd be more concerned about your wife's safety. I wouldn't want your holiday plans marred by the spill of her blood. I'm playing for keeps now."  
  
Leo rushed over towards him as Jed slammed down the receiver.  
  
"Debbie!" he shouted. "Get Ron Butterfield in here!"  
  
"Sir, what happened?" Leo wanted to know.  
  
"She's threatening Abbey. Something about a journal."  
  
"Who, Emma?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"How did she get through?"  
  
"I don't know, Leo! What could she want? This is all because I fired her?"  
  
Ron rushed into the Oval Office, immediately shaken by the President's demeanor.  
  
"Emma Bradford just called and threatened the First Lady," Leo told Ron.  
  
Ron looked over at Jed who was furiously pacing around his desk. "Sir, we can get a copy of the call and take appropriate action."  
  
Jed nodded. "See that you do. Abbey and I are taking off for the holiday early. Leo, can you clear off my schedule? I want to get Abbey to the farm tonight."  
  
"Of course," Leo replied.  
  
"Sir, I can have security at the farm beefed up as well."  
  
"No," Jed insisted. "She'll be with me. She'll be safe. I don't want to scare her or the rest of the family."  
  
"Mr. President..." Ron started.  
  
"Ron, if she comes anywhere near Abbey, I'll break her neck myself."  
  
Jed headed towards the East Wing to find Abbey and tell her they had to leave for Manchester that night. But when he arrived, all he found were her staffers packing up to leave for the day.  
  
"Where's my wife?" he asked a press assistant.  
  
"I'm sorry, Sir. She left."  
  
It was only a minute, but to Jed, it felt like an eternity -- an eternity before the assistant continued, telling him that Abbey had gone home for the evening. In that minute, all the raw emotions plagued Jed's mind. He remembered the last time he heard those words. It was after he had seen her leave the White House to go to New Hampshire after Zoey's death.  
  
For sixty seconds, his mind began to race. Sure, Abbey was angry with him and she had every right to be, but she couldn't do this to him again. It was just too cruel and Abbey wasn't cruel. But what if she had, he wondered. Just the thought of losing her nearly destroyed him. When he realized what the assistant had meant, a wave of relief swept over him. But with that wave came the knowledge that he had to keep Abbey safe, no matter what. He couldn't lose her ever again.  
  
In the Residence, Abbey had explained to CJ the entire story of the patient she lost in Boston. She still couldn't bring herself to say his name. It was as if saying it made her relive all the guilt. CJ understood her apprehension about coming foward sooner, but she assured Abbey that the secret was safe. Now that they knew what they were dealing with, what was driving Emma, they could deal with her.  
  
Abbey pulled out Emma's journal. She knew it would contain more specific details of Emma's motives for coming to the White House. Before she could open it to skim through the pages, Jed walked through the door. Abbey quickly handed it to CJ in an attempt to keep it from her husband. Jed was too wired to even notice the exchange.  
  
His frantic entry confused Abbey. "Jed, what's going on?"  
  
"We're leaving for the farm tonight. Hi, CJ," he said, noticing his former Press Secretary.  
  
"Hi, Sir. Abbey, I really should get going."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"CJ, can you make sure Amy clears the First Lady's schedule until after Christmas?" Jed asked.  
  
"Of course, Sir. Happy Holidays."  
  
"Happy Holidays, CJ," Abbey replied as Jed nodded.  
  
"CJ, wait," Jed called out. When she turned around, Jed paused, realizing he didn't have time to discuss his apology now. "Never mind.You have a very Merry Christmas."  
  
"Thank you, Sir. You do the same," she said cordially.  
  
CJ excused herself as Abbey questioned her husband.  
  
"Why are we leaving tonight?"  
  
Jed thought about telling her the truth, but he was worried that infamous stubborn streak would show its ugly head and she'd insist on staying put to face Emma. Instead, he covered up his real reasons. "I'd like to get started on our Christmas preparations early."  
  
"Is there something you're not telling me?"  
  
"No, of course not," he lied.  
  
"Jed."  
  
He knew that stern voice meant she wanted the truth, so he gave her a different version of it. "Something happened today."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I went to your office to talk to you and an aide told me you had left."  
  
Abbey looked at him with even more confusion in her eyes. "Yes, CJ and I came here to talk."  
  
"Yeah, but Abbey, for a minute, I thought...I thought that you had really left...again." He lowered his head with the last word.  
  
"Oh, Jed." She walked over to him, understanding what he meant. She bent down to look him in the eye and followed his gaze back up. "I told you when I came back I wasn't going anywhere ever again. I meant it."  
  
Watching him so vulnerable broke her heart. She still felt responsible for how much her absence had hurt him the year before and no matter what happened, she was determined never to put him through that pain again. She took him in her arms and stroked the back of his head, trying to reassure him.  
  
He pulled away slightly to look at her. "I just want a few days to ourselves. We haven't really had time alone since before Thanksgiving."  
  
"That's been by choice."  
  
"I know," he said sadly.  
  
Hearing his voice, she immediately gave in to his request. "If you really want to go tonight, lets go tonight."  
  
Jed's somber expression seemed to disappear quickly. In its place came a big smile accompanied by a warmth in his big blue eyes.  
  
The couple arrived in Manchester that night and finally reconnected emotionally, and by the end of the night, physically as well. Jed was still trying to make up for letting Emma cause so many rifts between them and Abbey was ready to let him off the hook. When it came down to it, the qualities that Emma used to worm her way into his life were the very qualities she fell in love with -- his sincerity, generosity, and loving nature. She couldn't hold it against him any longer, especially now that she knew Emma's real reason for coming to Washington.  
  
For the first time since Thanksgiving, the tension was gone and all that remained in its wake was deep adoration and love. Of course, the stress-free time wouldn't last forever.  
  
Two days later, on Christmas Eve, Jed got a troubling call from Ron. Emma had been questioned and released by police. The telephone recording didn't come out clearly and Emma was able to put her own spin on what she had said. Though she wasn't totally in the clear and may face the consequences of her threat once the police spoke to Jed, she wasn't in jail.  
  
She claimed her threat against the First Lady was the result of profound anger that someone had broken into her apartment and stolen something that belonged to her. Jed assured Ron that Abbey would never have done such a thing, but when he hung up the phone, he needed reassurance himself. He took Abbey's hands and sat her down on the couch next to him.  
  
"I lied to you before," he told her. "We did come up here early for a reason and it wasn't the reason I told you. I got a phone call from Emma."  
  
"What did she want?"  
  
"She threatened you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I was going to tell you, but I didn't want it to spoil Christmas. Ron was going to take care of it."  
  
Abbey stood up as she tried to comprehend what he was telling her. "Did he?"  
  
"No, Sweetheart. They let her go. The recording was muffled and she claimed she never made an actual threat. That she was just angry and wanted to get a message to you."  
  
"What kind of threat?" Jed didn't respond, so she asked again. "Jed, tell me. What kind of threat did she make?"  
  
"She told me I should be concerned about your safety."  
  
"Don't we get a lot of threats like that on a daily basis?"  
  
"Similar ones, but she's truly delusional and that's what scares me. She says you and she had some kind of argument, which is ridiculous...just another figment of her imagination."  
  
Abbey looked away from her husband.  
  
"It's ridiculous, right?" he asked. He got no response. "Abbey?"  
  
"We didn't plan for it to turn out the way it did."  
  
Jed stood up to face her. "We?"  
  
"CJ and I just wanted to find out what she was after."  
  
"Abbey!"  
  
She expected him to be unhappy, but now was her chance to tell him what she had been keeping to herself. "Jed, you won't believe what we found. I know why Emma's been doing this. I know why she squirmed her way into the White House, why she wanted to be Press Secretary, all of it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She was engaged to him."  
  
"To who?"  
  
"HIM, Jed. She was engaged to HIM. The night before their wedding, he died on my operating table."  
  
"Oh my god. Why didn't you tell me before we left Washington?"  
  
"I had just found out myself."  
  
"You should have told me. I should have told Ron."  
  
Before they could continue talking about the bombshell Abbey just dropped, Elizabeth, Doug, Annie, and Gus walked in, having just arrived for the family celebration. The four were closely followed by Charlie, whom Jed invited as a guest, instead of an employee, and last, but not least, Ellie.  
  
The Christmas Jed had worked so hard to plan was coming together, except for one detail -- there was a crazed psychopath outside determined to get revenge on his wife, and now, after all these months, he finally knew why.  
  
TBC 


	13. Chapter 13

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 13  
  
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1  
  
Previously: Jed and Abbey leave for New Hampshire early after Emma threatens Abbey's safety.  
  
Summary: Christmas Eve starts out as a warm holiday party, but ends with a grisly discovery.  
  
The Bartlet Christmas celebration was well underway. It only took minutes for the whole family to slip into a cheerful holiday mood. The Christmas tree was already up and now it was time to put up the ornaments. It had been a Bartlet tradition for everyone to have their own ornament, complete with a glittery inscription of his or her name.  
  
This year, as the kids and grandkids hung their ornaments, Jed handed Charlie a beautifully wrapped present he wanted him to open right away. When Charlie tore open the paper and opened the box, he saw a gorgeous aquamarine ornament with sparkling flecks of silver. Across the base was his name.  
  
"You're an official part of the family now," Jed told him as he hugged Charlie and urged him to place the ornament on the tree.  
  
The happy moment came to an end, however, when Abbey opened the last box of decorations to find Zoey's ornament sitting there, alone in its display. She picked it up and looked at it, her fingers tracing the letters in her name. She pulled it up towards the tree, but when her hand began shaking, Jed's hand covered hers to steady it as they hung the ornament together. Once it was up, Jed pulled his hand off hers and put his arm around her to pull her in to an embrace. She rested her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist.  
  
The evening was filled with present-wrapping and Christmas carols. Pretty soon, the farm had been turned into a Winter Wonderland, ready for the magnificent holiday celebration. But there was still uneasiness in the air. Jed and Abbey hadn't had a moment alone since Abbey had told him the truth about Emma. He wanted to talk to her, he needed to talk to her.  
  
As the family cleared the table after dinner, the argument that had been brewing all night between Annie and Elizabeth was hitting the boiling point. The debate had been gradually working Jed's nerves for hours.  
  
"I said no," Liz kept telling her daughter.  
  
"Come on. I'll be home first thing in the morning! I promise."  
  
"Annie, your mother said no," Doug interrupted.  
  
"Dad, please."  
  
"It's Christmas Eve and you're going to spend it with your family," Liz repeated to her stubborn 16-year-old.  
  
"But Jennifer goes back to college next week. I never get to see her anymore."  
  
"Why does it have to be tonight?" Abbey asked, amused by the scene of a persistent teenager giving Liz the same kind of trouble Liz used to give Abbey.  
  
"Because she's only in town tonight. Tomorrow, she goes to see her father in Hartford."  
  
"She's not exactly in town. She's in Boston," Liz said, looking at Abbey.  
  
"Please," Annie begged.  
  
"She said no!" Jed screamed. "For God's sake, stop acting like a spoiled brat! You're spending Christmas Eve with your family!"  
  
Everyone was stunned into silence. Jed had never exploded like that in front of his grandchildren. He never even raised his voice to them before, even if a little yelling was deserved.  
  
Annie ran into her room, frightened by his outburst. Liz followed her.  
  
"Jed, outside, now," Abbey ordered as she ushered him out the door. She closed the door behind them, making sure they were alone, before she began. "You're mad at me. Don't take it out on Annie."  
  
"You're damn right I'm mad at you! Why didn't you tell me about Emma before we left?"  
  
"For the same reason you didn't tell me you lured me to the farm to protect me from her threat."  
  
"How could you go see her behind my back, Abbey?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Jed. I didn't realize I needed your permission."  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
"I didn't know she was a crazed lunatic until a few days ago."  
  
"You should have told me the second you knew who she was," he insisted.  
  
"Right, because you're so good at keeping me in the loop," she replied with sarcasm. She wrapped her arms around her waist, shivering from the cold. "Let's go in. We can talk about this later, in private."  
  
"You go ahead. I'm going for a walk."  
  
"Jed..."  
  
"I need some air, Abbey."  
  
"At least take your coat. It's starting to snow," she said as she walked inside and returned with his coat and gloves.  
  
"Keep everyone inside and keep the door locked," he told her.  
  
He slipped on his coat and walked away from her. The past few weeks had been difficult enough and now, armed with this new information, he didn't know what to do. He wanted to keep his family safe, but he wasn't sure what kind of person he was dealing with. What kind of psychopath worms her way in the way she did, only to manipulate her victims for months before actually zeroing in on them, he wondered. He was usually good at keeping evil at bay, and now, the evil was in his own house. If Emma was as sick as he really feared, there was no telling how she would hurt Abbey. It was a thought that made him cringe.  
  
Hours later, with Annie on her way to Boston and Ellie, Liz, Doug, and Gus tucked into bed, and Jed still not back, Abbey became concerned. She told Charlie she was going to go look for him, but Charlie offered to go instead. Knowing what kind of mood Jed was in, she quickly shot down that idea. She was the one he was upset with and she was the one he should face. Despite Charlie's attempt to keep her in the house, she grabbed her coat and gloves and headed out the door.  
  
When she didn't return right away, Charlie took off after her. He knew she was an independent woman, but he wasn't completely oblivious to danger that Emma posed, though he didn't know about the latest threats. He wandered the grounds looking for her and eventually found both her and Jed. He was stunned by the sight before him.  
  
Jed sat on the cold, snow-covered ground. Right beside him was Abbey, who sat in a state of shock, mesmerized by the bloody scene. Charlie didn't need to hear any words to know what had happened. It was quite obvious by the amount of blood from the battered body and the First Couple's reaction that Emma Bradford was dead.  
  
TBC 


	14. Chapter 14

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 14  
  
Rated R  
  
Previously: Charlie found Jed and Abbey sitting next to Emma's body.  
  
Summary: The aftermath  
  
Disclaimer: We realize that in real life, the President is always surrounded by Secret Service Agents, no matter what, but we're branching out here and using the absence of the agents as a plot device.  
  
Charlie found the First Couple. But what he saw frightened him to his core. Jed Bartlet sat down on the ground, cradling a bloody Emma Bradford in his arms. Sitting down next to him, gazing at the grisly site in front of her was Abbey. He didn't need words to confirm it. He already knew it -- Emma was dead. Jed and Abbey sat motionless, staring at the dead, limp body on the ground.  
  
"Where's your agent?" Jed finally asked her.  
  
"I slipped out the sliding door in the back."  
  
"Abbey!"  
  
"I'm so sorry, Jed," Abbey said with tears running down her cheeks.  
  
Jed took her hand and lifted her up as he stood. He took a few steps towards her and swept her into his arms. Pulling his upper body away slightly, he looked into her eyes and gently wiped the tears away with his thumbs. He pulled her back into an embrace, resting his chin on top of her head and whispering "it's okay. It'll all be okay."  
  
After several minutes of comforting Abbey, Jed knew they had a major problem to deal with. He walked over to Emma's body and picked up the gun, the silencer still attached. He kept his gloves on and used a napkin in his pocket to wipe down the weapon. During the process, he sat down next to the body, feeling sorry for the young woman. No matter what her transgressions, he couldn't justify being happy over another human being's death. He began sobbing as Abbey walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned down to bury her face against his back. Jed turned slightly, reaching over Abbey's head to drape his arm around her shoulders and hold her tight against his chest.  
  
Charlie quickly snuck back to the house before being spotted. He wasn't cold, but what he just witnessed caused him to shiver uncontrollably.  
  
Once he regained his composure, Jed continued wiping the gun. He didn't want his or Abbey's fingerprints anywhere on it. Abbey watched him silently. She was still in shock. After he was finished, he placed the gun in the exact position in which he found it, he looked over at Abbey, and slowly approached her.  
  
"We have to call the police and we have to do it before the secret service spots us."  
  
"I know," she said.  
  
"They're going to get nervous if they don't see me soon."  
  
"I know."  
  
"It's okay. We say we were together all night and we just found her body. We ran inside and called them immediately. That's what we tell them."  
  
"What if they don't believe us?"  
  
"They will. They will, Sweetheart."  
  
Jed and Abbey walked back inside the house. Jed called the police and alerted his agents, while Abbey woke up Liz, Doug, Gus, and Ellie. Charlie, who was already up, didn't tell the others what he had seen.  
  
"Where's Annie?" Jed asked his daughter.  
  
"I decided to let her go to Boston, to her friend's house," Elizabeth replied, holding Gus on her lap and snuggling him tightly against her body.  
  
Jed nodded. He may not have been happy about Annie's trip to Boston originally, but right now he was thrilled that he could at least spare his granddaughter the trauma of the events that were about to unfold. There wasn't just one dead body, there were three. Two secret service agents were found shot to death at their post.  
  
The other agents secured the house and the crime scene. When investigators arrived, everyone was questioned separately. Jed told them the story -- his and Abbey's version. He told them the cold New Hampshire air always invigorated them. After a night of singing Christmas carols, he took his wife for a walk on the grounds. That's when they found her. Of course, Charlie and the family knew the truth. They knew Jed and Abbey had a bitter argument and that's why he took off without her. But they weren't about to turn on either one of them, so despite their doubts, they went along with the ruse.  
  
Emma was already dead, Jed insisted repeatedly. And after he checked her pulse, he and Abbey ran to the phone to call for help. Abbey had her own doubts about lying to everyone. If she had been thinking rationally, she probably would have insisted they call a lawyer first, but she didn't. Fortunately, she and Jed only answered initial questions before Jed decided to call Leo and then his attorney. Meanwhile, still reeling from what he witnessed earlier, Charlie, shadowed by an agent, walked out onto the front porch to get some fresh air.  
  
It was a frigid night. Christmas Eve in New Hampshire usually meant cold weather, but this was extreme, even by New England standards. The temperature dropped into the single digits, but that was nothing compared to the cool air the wind brought with it, coupled with the falling snow that blanketed the town. One might consider it a picturesque White Christmas, if only it hadn't been marred by such tragic events. But then again, maybe it was the perfect setting for such a gruesome tale. If it had been summer, no doubt writers would call it a dark, stormy night. Snow as a substitute for rain may not seem as ominous, but it sure can be as dangerous.  
  
For 20 minutes that night, Charlie listened to the scanner traffic he could hear from inside the police cruiser. The highway patrol needed help diverting traffic since they had shut down the interstate from Manchester to the Massachusetts border, thanks to the numerous accidents caused by slick roads.  
  
With every two-toned signal that came over the scanner, Charlie's mind wandered. Tomorrow morning, millions of kids all over the country would wake up to open presents left by "Santa." Tomorrow morning, families would take great joy in surrounding themselves with smiling children and reuniting with relatives on this magical day. But he kept remembering that tomorrow morning, the Bartlets wouldn't be celebrating the traditional Christmas holiday. Instead, they would be separated and questioned as authorities try to piece together the events that led to a young woman's brutal demise on the President's door step.  
  
Back in the house, the police continued taking the President's report, but there was one question, they kept coming back to.  
  
"Where were your agents, Mr. President?"  
  
By the time Ron Butterfield arrived at the farm, the agents knew there would be hell to pay.  
  
"You never leave him unguarded! What about that is hard to understand?" Ron shouted.  
  
"He was walking around on the grounds. We had the perimeter completely secure and he ordered us to stay back," Agent Ted Johnson replied.  
  
"He ordered you?"  
  
"Yes, Ron, I did. I wanted to be alone and with the perimeter guarded the way it was, I felt it was safe," Jed replied.  
  
"If it was safe, I wouldn't be dealing with three dead bodies right now" he said, receiving only empty glares in return.  
  
By the end of the night, three other agents had been fired, Ron forced the President to get back on the plane and head to Washington, where he would be questioned. Tom Martin, an old family friend and attorney, arrived at the farm to help Abbey, who stayed behind to pack. She, Ellie, Charlie, Liz, and Liz's family would be leaving for the White House that night as well, after they were questioned individually. Tom sat in on the grueling sessions with police, stepping in when he thought the questions were out of line.  
  
Meanwhile, Liz called Annie on her cell phone and told her to rush back to the farm. Knowing her daughter would be terrified once she saw all the flashing lights, she explained to her that the family wasn't hurt, but that they needed her right away.  
  
When everyone was ready, they got on the plane and joined Jed back in Washington, knowing the next several days would be filled with more police interviews and press questions. Abbey just hoped she and her husband could keep up the act. It was wrong to lie about how they found the body. She knew that. They were covering up a murder and they would be forever punished by God. But none of that mattered to her right now. She had to do this, for herself, and for Jed.  
  
TBC 


	15. Chapter 15

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 15  
  
Previously: Jed wiped off the gun that was found next to Emma's body, then lied to the police about being with Abbey the whole night. The President was rushed back to the White House while Abbey and the gang followed a short time later.  
  
Summary: Jed and Abbey worry about the next step. CJ tells Abbey what she found in Emma's journal.  
  
When Abbey walked through the bedroom door, Jed ran over and pulled her into an embrace so tight that it took her breath away.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked.  
  
"I'm okay. What about you?"  
  
She pulled away gently. He kept his body stationary, but leaned forward trying to read her facial expressions."Yeah, I'm fine. How are the girls and the grandkids?"  
  
"They all went straight to bed. Annie and Gus are sleeping with Doug and Liz tonight."  
  
Jed nodded, knowing the two kids were probably too scared to sleep alone. "And Charlie?"  
  
"He's a little out of it, but I think he'll be fine."  
  
"Good." He crossed in front of her and began unbuttoning his shirt.  
  
"Jed?" Jed turned to look at her. "What now?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
She approached him. "You didn't take your agents with you."  
  
"And neither did you. That's something we'll have to explain much better later."  
  
"She could have killed you."  
  
"I had my panic button with me, Abbey. I would have used it if I had to."  
  
This time, she was the one who initiated the embrace. She reached around him as far as she could and he rested his chin on top of her head. They slept intertwined in bed that night. Neither actually fell asleep, but they didn't talk either. They just laid there listening to the other breathe and waiting for the sun to rise.  
  
The next morning, police and FBI agents arrived at the White House. It had been a battle of wills between the police and the Secret Service. Ron insisted it was a security risk for the President to stay in New Hampshire the night before now that a killer, who was still on the loose, had managed to get past security and come within a few yards of the farm when slaughtering his victim, not to mention the two agents who were killed, probably by Emma as she snuck onto the property. Ron won that argument. The President was questioned on Air Force One on the way back to Washington, then again when he arrived at the White House. Both times, his personal attorney sat at his side. Now, it was time for round two, for both him and Abbey.  
  
They wanted to know everything about Emma Bradford. Why was she working at the White House? How did she know Jed? Why didn't Abbey like her? Why didn't Emma like Abbey? They asked about the threatening phone call Jed got before he took Abbey to New Hampshire. They asked Abbey if it was true that she swiped Emma's journal and if she did, where was the journal now?  
  
Abbey told the truth about most of the events of that night, but she couldn't commit to complete honesty -- she had to protect Jed. After what he had done to protect her, she couldn't betray their pact. They were each other's alibis and only they would know what really happened that night, or so she thought at the time. Although she justified the lies in her mind, as he did in his, it still drove them both to immeasurable levels of guilt.  
  
When the police confiscated Emma journal from CJ, they were enlightened by the things they learned. CJ knew that even Abbey didn't know what was in that journal. While the Bartlets were away for the holiday, she took the time to do some research of her own. She wanted to share that with Abbey before the police could tell her.  
  
She arrived at the Residence to find an Abbey she barely recognized. Her usually shiny, auburn hair was looking stringy and unkempt. She hadn't even taken the time to put on make-up or cover the noticeable bags under her eyes. This was a traumatized Abbey and what CJ was about to tell her would frighten her even more.  
  
"Abbey, maybe you should sit down," CJ suggested.  
  
"No, I'm okay. I just want to know what it is you have to say."  
  
"This is just difficult..."  
  
"CJ, please."  
  
"You weren't her target. Well, you were, but not her physical target. She wasn't planning to kill you. She wanted to kill the President."  
  
"So I would suffer?"  
  
"Sort of. She wanted to split you guys up, to separate you, then kill him and frame you."  
  
Abbey processed the information, her eyes shifting back and forth as she crossed to the other side of the room. "Frame me? That's ridiculous."  
  
"Well, she was crazy. In her mind, you had already killed once, in Boston. People would believe that you were capable of killing again."  
  
She turned to look at her Press Secretary. "My own husband?"  
  
"I know you would give your life for him."  
  
"And he would for me," Abbey reminded her.  
  
"I know. There's more. Abbey, last year, she was pregnant and that's why she was getting married. After Michael's..." CJ cut herself off, remembering that Abbey couldn't bare to hear his name. "...after her fiance's death, she miscarried. She blames the trauma of that night."  
  
Abbey continued listening to CJ, but her words were getting lost before she could register them.  
  
"There's something else," CJ continued. "I did some checking on my own, dug up a few leads. She found out about your invovlement that night in Boston through a friend of hers who works at the hospital. I spoke to that friend. It turns out the reason her fiance..."  
  
"Michael," Abbey interrupted. "It's okay, you can say it. I'm going to have to get used to it."  
  
CJ nodded sadly. "The reason Michael got behind the wheel, the reason he was driving the night he crashed was that he had just caught her in bed with someone else."  
  
"So she felt responsible?"  
  
"I think it's safe to assume she internalized those emotions, then projected them on to you. Anythng to keep from blaming herself."  
  
Abbey's eyes widened as she took in the information. "She tried to get Jed to think I was having an affair. I think she put drugs in my purse, maybe even spiked my drink with something on Thanksgiving."  
  
"She talks in her journal about her and Michael in college, occassionally buying Psuedophedrine to make methamphetamine. You told me that's what you thought those pills were, right? It's not unreasonable to think..."  
  
Abbey cut her off, already drawing her own conclusions. "All this time, she was behind it all."  
  
Every detail of the past several months flashed in Abbey's mind. All the little arguments she and Jed had, all the misunderstandings, all the quirks she sensed about Emma -- it was all planned. The fact that someone as disturbed as Emma got into the White House, actually had lunch and Thanksgiving dinner at the Residence was bone-chilling.  
  
What made her feel even worse was that she felt it was all her own fault. If she had never turned to drugs, if she hadn't shut Jed out and run away to New Hampshire, if she hadn't picked that particular day to stop taking the pills, if she had just called in sick to the hospital that one night, all of this would have never happened. She drove her husband to do something he would have never done on his own. All the lies he had to tell, all the secrets he had to keep were tearing him apart, and she knew it. She was the one to blame.  
  
TBC 


	16. Chapter 16

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 16  
  
Previously: Jed and Abbey were reunited at the White House, each unsure where to go from here. CJ told Abbey that Emma blamed the death of her fiance and her miscarriage on her and that's what drove her to target the First Family.  
  
Summary: Jed clears the air with Annie and then bonds with Abbey.  
  
On Christmas evening, Jed sat his two daughters down in one of the bedrooms and asked them what they had seen or heard the night before. This was the first time he had a chance to talk to them alone since the murder. He had to be prepared for what they had told police.  
  
He was relieved to find that neither Elizabeth nor Ellie really knew much of anything about the events that led to Emma's death. Both had been asleep. In fact, with the exception of Annie, who had left for Boston earlier in the evening, and Charlie, all the guests were awakened by Abbey just before hearing Jed's frantic call to 9-1-1.  
  
As he finished up with the girls, Annie knocked on the door to inform Liz that Gus was looking for her. Liz excused herself, followed by Ellie, in an attempt to give Jed a moment alone with Annie. An awkward pause filled the room as he looked at his granddaughter, unsure how to begin the conversation they needed to have.  
  
Sensing she was about to turn around and leave, he finally began talking. "Mind if we talk for a minute?"  
  
"About what?" Annie asked, knowing the answer already.  
  
"I'm sorry I snapped at you last night. It wasn't you. You weren't the one I was angry with."  
  
"I know."  
  
Jed looked at her quizzically. "How do you know?"  
  
"Because you were a grouch all day and you're never like that on Christmas." A smile came over his face as she continued. "Was it Zoey?"  
  
"No, it was something else. It's not important. I just want you to know that I love you very much."  
  
Jed reached out to hug her, but Annie pulled away. "I love you too," she replied.  
  
Jed looked at her suspiciously. Annie had never turned away from him before. "What's the matter?"  
  
She shrugged off his concern and took a step backwards. "Nothing. I'm just tired."  
  
"Okay. You should get some sleep. It's been a long day and tomorrow's going to be just as long."  
  
Jed left the teenager and made his way to his bedroom where he found Abbey. She was still reeling from her conversation with CJ.  
  
"Did you talk to the girls?" she wanted to know.  
  
"Yeah. We're fine. They were asleep through the whole thing."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Abbey, I'm probably overreacting, but I just had a conversation with Annie."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I apologized to her for biting her head off last night. Then I went to hug her. She pulled away from me. She's never done that before."  
  
"She's 16, Jed."  
  
"Yeah, I guess. I just hate thinking that one outburst damaged my relationship with her."  
  
Abbey's eyes were filled with love and compassion for her husband. He cared so much about his family that the normal moodiness of a teenager caused him such pain. She walked over to him, cupped his face in her hands, and kissed him.  
  
"What was that for?" he asked.  
  
"For being you, and for taking such good care of this family. For taking care of me."  
  
"I'll always take care of you, Abbey. As long as I'm alive, I'll take care of you." He pulled her into his arms and could sense her tensing up as tears began to flow down her cheeks. He pulled her away slightly to look into her eyes and gently wipe the tears. "What's going on?"  
  
Abbey wanted to stop crying, but she couldn't. She had to tell him what was on her mind. "She did all this because of me. It was me she wanted to get back at."  
  
Jed pulled her back into his arms, stroking her hair lightly. "Sweetie, she was a psychopath. And if anything, it's my fault. Abbey, I'm so sorry for not trusting you. I should have listened the second you said there was something not right about her."  
  
"Jed, you didn't know."  
  
"No, but you did. You knew something was wrong with her and if I had listened to you..."  
  
Abbey put her fingers on his lips to stop him. "There was no way you could have known."  
  
"When she threatened you..."  
  
"Jed, you don't have to think about that."  
  
"Yes, I do. I felt so helpless. Here was this lunatic, calling me up on the phone, warning me that she's coming after my wife. I could have gone through the phone right then and strangled her, Abbey."  
  
His words made Abbey shudder with fear. Jed wasn't a violent man, but when it came to protecting his family, even God Himself better not intervene.  
  
"Jed, please don't say that."  
  
"I'm sorry. But it's true. Do you have any idea what it's like to feel that helpless?"  
  
"I have some idea," she replied, remembering how she felt when she froze when Jed collapsed in the Oval Office.  
  
"Oh, Sweetheart, I didn't mean..." he started to say as his legs began feeling weak.  
  
"Jed? What's the matter?"  
  
"Nothing. They just hurt," he mumbled as sat down on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Are they numb or tingling?"  
  
"Not really, they just hurt."  
  
"I want you to go back on your Prednisone," she said.  
  
"Abbey."  
  
"Just a small dose, for now. It'll help if there's any inflamation. All this stress isn't good for you and the last thing any of us need is for you to have a relapse."  
  
He nodded. She sat down next to him on the bed, putting her arm around him. He drew her in for a long, passionate kiss and when their lips parted, they looked at each other, knowing the comfort they both needed could only come from the other. They moved closer for another kiss as they inched their way up to the head of the bed.  
  
Afterwards, husband and wife cuddled together under the covers. Jed ran his arms up and down Abbey's body in a less-sexual, yet comforting way. The quiet between them had become the norm, but something was different tonight. Jed had more on his mind than just the problem with Emma. She waited, knowing eventually he'd tell her what it was. She didn't have to wait long.  
  
"I'd like to offer CJ her old job back," he finally said, still looking down at Abbey's arm.  
  
Abbey turned her body to face him and gently lifted his head so he could see her smiling face. "It took you long enough!"  
  
Jed returned her grin. "I take it that's okay with you?"  
  
"Of course. Jed, the reason I hired her in the first place is because I knew you'd regret letting her go."  
  
"You think she'll want to come back?" he asked.  
  
Abbey thought for a moment before responding. CJ had every right to be furious with Jed, but she was a forgiving person who loved her old job and her old boss. "Yeah. And I know you'll make it up to her."  
  
"And you."  
  
"You've already done that."  
  
Abbey snuggled closer to him as he kissed the top of her head and settled back down against the pillows. She turned out the light and rested her head on his chest as they both fell asleep.  
  
TBC 


	17. Chapter 17

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 17  
  
Previously: Jed was bothered that Annie pulled away from him. Abbey convinced Jed to go back on his steroids to help with his MS symptoms. Jed told Abbey he wanted to hire CJ as WH Press Secretary.  
  
Summary: Jed and CJ resolve their differences. CJ has more information regarding Emma. Abbey is bothered after a session with her attorney, then comforts Annie after she has a nightmare.  
  
It was the day after Christmas and the initial shock had passed. Now the First Couple had to work through the aftermath of Emma's death. If it was any other family, there probably would have been an arrest made by now, but police were treading lightly, knowing the investigation was garnering international attention.  
  
There would be more police questions and more press coverage, but before dealing with that, there was something else Jed had to do. There was someone else he needed to see.  
  
"Another busy day in the East Wing?" Jed startled her.  
  
"Mr. President," CJ called as she turned around, surprised to see him.  
  
"Hi, CJ. Do you have a few minutes?"  
  
"Of course, Sir. How are you?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Jed looked just as drained and stressed out as Abbey. It was obvious neither of them had been sleeping, or eating much for that matter. CJ's heart went out to him. She knew the look on his face wasn't just one of exhaustion. It was regret, guilt, a look of hopelessness. In that instant, all the anger she was still feeling towards him faded. He didn't need to say the words for CJ to know how remorseful he was.  
  
"I'm hanging in there. Look, CJ, I have something I want to say..."  
  
"First, I want to apologize to you," CJ interrupted.  
  
Jed was shocked. "You're apologizing to me?"  
  
"Yes, Sir. I had no right to talk to you the way I did in the Oval Office."  
  
She was sincere. The day of their confrontation, CJ's resentment took over her emotions. Resentment at having to defend herself, at suspecting her deputy was the cause of her troubles and her boss was too blind to notice. But afterwards, she knew her outburst only made things worse. She wanted to take back her words, but her pride kept her from doing so. Instead, she handed in her resignation and tried to mask the hurt when she was quickly replaced.  
  
"You women never fail to confuse me," he chuckled. CJ returned his grin. "I'm the one who's sorry, CJ. I should have believed you about the Social Secruity nonsense and I should have listened to both you and Abbey about Emma."  
  
"You felt a deep fondness for her, didn't you?"  
  
"Yeah. I guess you could say that."  
  
"I understand."  
  
"No, you don't because I don't understand it myself," Jed insisted. "I don't understand how I let her cloud my judgment."  
  
"You weren't alone. We all trusted her at first, except for Mrs. Bartlet."  
  
A warm smile came over Jed's face. "She can read people much better than I can. But now that we know the truth, there's just one more thing to do." He walked closer to her and looked deeply into her eyes so she could see his sincerity. "I want you back, CJ. I need you back in the West Wing."  
  
"Sir, I'm working for the First Lady."  
  
"I already cleared it with her." Jed turned his back to her, walking around her office and glancing at the papers on her desk. "It took me too long to realize that I'll never find anyone who can handle the press the way you can, especially now. I shouldn't have let you resign and now I want to rectify that. There's really no reason for you to give me another chance, but I'd really appreciate it if you would. " He turned back around, looking at her with his big blue eyes. "Please."  
  
He wasn't just asking her. He was pleading with her. He needed CJ because having her back would alleviate some of the guilt he felt about defending Emma for so long.  
  
She took his hand and smiled. "I would love to come back to work for you."  
  
CJ extended her hand in an effort to shake his, but he moved closer and, instead, gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek and pulled her into a fatherly hug. She tried to hide it, but she was thrilled. She wanted her job back. She wanted to make amends with the President. For the past several years, he hadn't just been her boss. He had been her friend. Even though she tried to deny it, leaving his side had hurt her just as much as it had him.  
  
Before he left, CJ said she had a confession to make. She wanted to talk to Jed and Abbey together because what she had to tell them would affect them both.  
  
Once Abbey arrived, CJ began recalling that day. It was the afternoon of Christmas Eve and CJ had just returned home to find Emma waiting outside her apartment for her. She was furious and no matter what CJ said to try to calm her, Emma continued ranting and raving in a hysterical fit.  
  
Flashback  
  
"I know she took my journal! I want it back!" Emma was shouting.  
  
"The First Lady doesn't give a damn about your journal!" CJ walked around her and began to climb the steps, before turning back around to face her. "But I do. What's the matter? Are you angry that we took it or that we know all about what you've been up to?"  
  
"You don't know anything!"  
  
"Oh, I know more than you think. And so do the police." In actuality, CJ hadn't called the police, but by telling Emma that, she hoped it would get her off Abbey's back. Instead, it did exactly the opposite.  
  
"She's going to pay for this too," Emma mumbled, drawing a confused response from CJ.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"She's keeping my baby's father away from me," Emma said fanatically.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Emma looked at her with steel cold eyes. CJ was frightened by the hatred in her expression and without another word, the younger woman left in a frenzy. CJ went into her apartment and immediately opened the journal.  
  
"At first, I thought she was trying to imply that she was pregnant with the President's child," CJ told Jed and Abbey.  
  
"I never slept with her, I swear!" Jed insisted, rushing over to Abbey's side.  
  
Abbey put an arm around Jed's waist and reassured him. "I know."  
  
CJ knew too. "It wasn't until she left that I continued reading the journal and tracked down that friend of hers in Boston and I realized she was talking about Michael's baby, the one she miscarried. She was so unbalanced and deranged. I think she thought it was the year before, that she was reliving Michael's death that day."  
  
Abbey tightened her grip around Jed's waist and he pulled her in closer. "Thank you for telling us, CJ," he said.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?" Abbey asked.  
  
"I think I provoked her even more. I should have just ignored her. Telling her that I brought the police into it is what may have caused her to go to the farm that night."  
  
"CJ, it's not your fault. It's no one's fault but Emma's," Jed told her.  
  
"I know the police are going to ask me about it today and I wanted to tell you before I told them."  
  
Abbey reached out her hand to grab CJ's. She was happy they knew a little more about Emma's state of mind when she arrived in New Hampshire, but what they found out petrified her. She had no doubt that Emma was on a mission that night. She went to the farm armed and ready to carry out her deadly plan.  
  
That evening, Abbey entered her bedroom feeling emotionally crippled. It had been a long day of meetings with her attorney Tom. He wanted to be prepared in case the police ever arrested Abbey for Emma's murder.  
  
"Did you hate Emma because of the hold she had on your husband?" Tom had asked her at one point.  
  
"No, it had nothing to do with that. It was about her. It was about who she was," Abbey replied.  
  
Tom saw through that. He wanted to get to the heart of what Abbey really hated about Emma. It took hours for Abbey to finally admit it, but eventually she broke down, confessing that part of her disliked Emma so intensely because of her uncanny ability to manipulate Jed's emotions. Her husband was a different man around Emma and that made her feel uncomfortable.  
  
"Did you suspect the President was having an affair with her?"  
  
Abbey tensed up at the mere suggestion Tom made. "No," she answered honestly. "One time, I accused him of having feelings for her, but I trust my husband. I know that any thought of a more than platonic relationship would have come from her, not him."  
  
Perhaps the most difficult question to answer was one she didn't have an answer to. "Why did the President get rid of his agents?"  
  
All she could come up with was the standby she and Jed had been using, "we wanted to be alone." It was lame and they both knew it, but there really was no reason that would satisfy everyone's curiosity. The reason Jed dismissed his agents was because he was angry and frustrated. He wanted to walk around his own property without being trailed by a dozen officers. Of course, that was easily twisted. To the police, it was just one more reason to suspect the President of murder.  
  
Abbey hated answering those questions. She hated reliving the night of Emma's murder. The stress of it all was too much for her. She began a hot bath, hoping that would relieve some of her anxiety. But even the warm water couldn't help her unwind tonight. There was a snowstorm brewing outside, reminding her of Christmas Eve, and Jed was working late.  
  
After her bath, she made her way to her dresser and as she pulled out her blue satin nightgown, she unconsciously took out something else -- her bottle of Valium. Abbey stared at it for several minutes, then placed it on top of the dresser. She took off her clothes and changed into her nightgown, still fixated on the little bottle. It would just be tonight, she told herself, just to help her sleep. Jed would understand, she kept repeating.  
  
She picked up the bottle and began to open it when she heard Annie crying out from her bedroom down the hall. Abbey dropped the bottle, grabbed her blue satin robe and ran down the hall. By the time she got to Annie's room, Elizabeth was already there, comforting her daughter. Abbey looked in, still curious about what had happened.  
  
"It's just a nightmare," Liz told her mother.  
  
Abbey approached the bed and sat down on the edge, brushing Annie's hair off her forehead. "You know, your grandfather is working late tonight. You want to come sleep in my room?"  
  
Annie smiled and nodded. No matter how old she got, she loved spending the night with her grandmother. Abbey had developed a special relationship with her when she was a child and to this day, that bond was as strong as ever. What Annie didn't know was that tonight, Abbey needed her as much as she needed Abbey.  
  
When they were both safely tucked in bed, Abbey turned to her granddaughter and gently stroked her face. "You want to tell me what your dream was about?"  
  
"It was her."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Emma."  
  
Abbey gasped at the mention of that name. "Where was she?"  
  
"She was at the farm. In my dream, we're all still at the farm and she was there too. But it wasn't really her, you know? It was like a ghost. She was just walking around in that blue suede jacket." Annie began to get agitated and her eyes filled with tears. "She had blood on her."  
  
She shivered with fear as she finished her statement. Abbey wrapped her fingers around strands of Annie's hair to calm her down. "You're safe now, Angel. Just close your eyes and go to sleep."  
  
Annie reluctantly closed her eyes, knowing she was safe. But her nightmare caused Abbey even more anxiety.  
  
By the time Jed got home, Abbey had fallen into a light sleep herself. Jed stepped on the pill bottle Abbey had dropped when she went to comfort Annie. He picked it up and placed it back on the dresser, then made his way over to the bed. Abbey began to stir just as he bent down to kiss her cheek.  
  
"Jed."  
  
"Shhhh, go back to sleep." He looked to her side and saw Annie under the covers. "Is she okay?"  
  
"Yeah, just a nightmare." She turned her gaze from Annie back to Jed. "We have to talk."  
  
Jed put his finger over his lips and took her hand, helping her out of bed. He opened his drawer to take out an oversized sweathshirt to wear with his boxers, then led her into one of the other bedrooms so they wouldn't disturb their granddaughter.  
  
"I already know. I found the bottle," he told her.  
  
Abbey was confused momentarily, then it dawned on her what he was talking about. "No, no, I didn't. I wanted to, but then Annie screamed and..." She stopped for a second when she saw the smile on his face. "I'm sorry. I'm trying, I really am."  
  
He put his arms around her waist and swayed her softly from side to side against his body, still keeping enough distance between their upper bodies to see her face. "What else is going on?"  
  
"It's Annie. She knew that Emma had her blue suede jacket on the night she died."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So Annie's never seen that jacket...she shouldn't have known that. I think she was there, Jed. I think she saw something."  
  
TBC 


	18. Chapter 18

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 18  
  
Previously: CJ accepted Jed's offer to come back to work for him as WH Press Secretary. CJ told Jed and Abbey that she saw Emma on Christmas Eve and that Emma was reliving the events of the Christmas the year before when she lost her fiance. A nightmare shook up Annie and caused anxiety for Abbey, who realized that Annie may have seen something the night of the murder.  
  
Summary: Abbey stops Jed from taking his medication, as the First Couple enjoys a New Year's Eve party, Annie is living in seclusion. Annie thinks she sees Emma.  
  
Jed tossed and turned in bed, gripping his sheets so tightly, it brought Abbey out of a deep sleep. She rolled over to her side and sat up slightly, putting her arm over her husband to slowly wake him up. His breathing became more erratic and he began whimpering, obviously trying to get away from whatever was scaring him.  
  
"Jed. Jed, honey, wake up." She wrapped her arms around him, gently stroking him with every word. "Honey, it's okay. Wake up."  
  
His eyes suddenly popped open and he jerked away from her. "I'm coming, Sweetheart! I'll help you!"  
  
She grabbed his head and didn't let him turn away. "Jed, Jed, look at me. It's me, baby. It's okay, everyone's okay," she said, trying desperately to calm him.  
  
He took a deep breath and looked into Abbey's eyes. "Oh God. Abbey."  
  
"It's okay. It was just a dream. Just a nightmare."  
  
Abbey held him tightly in her arms as he slowly regained his composure.  
  
It had been a week since Christmas Eve, a week since the real nightmare began, and finally, there were more answers. The autopsy results were back. The Coroner couldn't rule out the possibility that Emma actually shot herself, though she also had bruises on her forearms, signaling some kind of struggle or physical confrontation, possibly unrelated to the shooting. But the gun was fired at such close proximity and the angle in which the bullet entered her body indicated she may have committed suicide. Plus, the gun was registered to Emma herself.  
  
However, things still weren't looking good for Jed and Abbey. Agent Ted Johnson, who was the head of Jed's detail that night, had told police that the President and First Lady weren't together when the President called off his agents. Several agents who were guarding the perimeter backed up Johnson's story, claiming when they witnessed the President walking around, he was alone. The discrepancy opened up the First Couple to more criticism and suspicion.  
  
The press wrote about the autopsy results and for the most part, supporters bought the suicide theory. Detractors, of course, weren't convinced. A young woman was dead and to some, the President and First Lady were seen as a shrewd, ruthless couple who were getting away with murder.  
  
Jed and Abbey knew the truth. Emma didn't kill herself. Emma was murdered, as some had suspected. And even though every bone in their body knew it was wrong, they couldn't come forward with what really happened. There was too much at stake and they weren't willing to risk the consequences.  
  
All the secrecy was taking its toll on Abbey. She and Jed were still in therapy and Dr. Keyworth was concerned about her state of mind. Jed, on the other hand, was having physical trouble. Abbey could see his health slowly deteriorating into a relapse and his steroids weren't helping. Abbey was alarmed when he entered their bedroom on New Year's Eve with his cane.  
  
"Are you almost ready?" he asked.  
  
She continued working on the clasp on her necklace when she turned towards him and noticed the cane. "Just about...what are you doing?"  
  
"They just hurt a little."  
  
Concern immediately took over as she raced over to her husband and felt his forehead with the back of her hand. "Are you sick?"  
  
"No. I feel fine. It's just a little pain."  
  
"Are they tingling?"  
  
"No, I swear."  
  
"Have you been taking your medication?"  
  
Jed looked down, avoiding her glance, but she lifted his chin back up too look into his eyes.  
  
"When I remember," he admitted.  
  
"Jed."  
  
Her voice was firm and stern, immediately putting him on the defensive. "Not tonight, Abbey. I can't handle a fight tonight."  
  
"Then take your medication. We can't have you sick on top of everything else."  
  
Jed gave in. He grabbed a glass and filled it in the bathroom sink, then grabbed his bottle of steroids. "I'll take it right now. Okay?"  
  
Abbey smiled at him as she looked down at his pills. "Wait!" she exclaimed.  
  
Jed froze just as he was about to pop the pills into his mouth. "What?"  
  
"What are those?"  
  
"My steroids."  
  
"No, Jed. they're not." She took the pills from him and examined them in her hands. "They're bigger and they're not scored. Yours were scored so that we could break them in half without a pill cutter."  
  
Jed took them from her, looking them over himself. "You're right."  
  
"Where did you get these?"  
  
"They were in my desk in my office, where I've always kept them."  
  
Abbey's mind began racing with possibilities. "Is this what you've been taking for the past week?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"No wonder it's not working," she said as she tried to think of an explanation. "Jed, did Emma ever go through your desk?"  
  
Jed began to tell her that was a ridiculous thought, but then he remembered how disturbed Emma really was. "I left her in my office alone a few times, if I had to make a call or something. But Abbey, come on. Do you really think..."  
  
"I really think that she drugged me on Thanksgiving and put the rest of the pills in my purse to convince you I was on drugs. Why wouldn't I think that she would mess with your medication?"  
  
Jed put the pills and the bottle back on the nightstand and approached his wife, cupping her cheeks. "I'll never forgive myself for not believing you about Thanksgiving."  
  
"It's okay. That isn't why I mentioned it."  
  
"I know, but I just want you to know how sorry I am."  
  
Abbey put her arms around his neck and pulled him in close. "I already do."  
  
Jed pulled away slightly. "Abbey, honey, you're shaking. What's wrong?"  
  
"She messed with your meds, Jed. Who knows what could have happened? Who knows what could be in those pills? You've been taking them for a week..."  
  
"It's okay. I lied to you," he confessed. "I didn't really take them. I meant to, and that's why I had them with me, but I kept forgetting."  
  
Abbey chuckled slightly at her relief. "We should still have them sent to a lab."  
  
"Okay," he agreed as he took her back in his arms.  
  
"You lied to me?" she asked while still holding the embrace.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She tightened her hold and pulled her head up to kiss his lips. "Jackass."  
  
As the First Couple enjoyed the New Year's Eve celebration at a special party in the Residence, Annie spent the evening in seclusion. The teenager didn't want to return to New Hampshire with her parents, so Abbey convinced Elizabeth to let her spend more time in Washington. She had been traumatized by the murder and events that followed and for reasons beyond Liz's comprehension, she had latched on to her grandmother, so Liz didn't fight Abbey.  
  
She spoke to Annie's teachers and secured a leave of absence from her private school. Her homework would be sent to her and Abbey was in charge of making sure she didn't fall behind until she returned home.  
  
That night, Jed and Abbey tried to persuade Annie to join them at the party, but she refused. Instead, she locked herself in her room and buried her emotions in music and television. It was a daily routine for her and that concerned Abbey. She thought about having Annie talk to Dr. Keyworth, but Annie dismissed the idea, even though her nightmares were getting much worse and now, they were occasionally accompanied by hallucinations.  
  
Well after midnight, the New Year's Eve party was beginning to break up and Annie was getting ready for bed. She turned off the light, but left her bedroom open just a crack, as she usually did to let light in from the hallway. She climbed onto her four-post Victorian-style bed and pulled the pink satin comforter up to her waist. As she leaned her head back after adjusting her pillow, she caught an image out of the corner of her eye. It was an image that paralyzed her with fear.  
  
In the crack of the doorway, Annie saw an eye. She would recognize that eye anywhere. It was Emma's eye, attached to Emma's face, attached to Emma's body. Emma was watching her. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound escaped her lungs. She let out a loud whimper and pulled the covers over her face. After several minutes, she finally was able to scream and the sudden piercing cry that she let out alerted Jed, Abbey, and several secret service agents that something was wrong.  
  
By the time the First Couple arrived, agents already had the room surrounded and of course, no one but Annie was there. They searched all over the room and the hall, but no sign of an intruder. Jed convinced Abbey to go to their bedroom to change out of her cocktail dress while he comforted Annie.  
  
Once she left, Jed took a seat on the bed and began to tuck in his granddaughter. "We have a problem here, Annie."  
  
"I know."  
  
"You've been having a lot of nightmares. You've been seeing things that aren't there. Your grandmother and I are worried about you."  
  
"I know."  
  
Jed began to stroke her hair, brushing it back off her forehead. "What do you think we should do about it?" Annie moved her head and turned away from him so he continued. "I think you need to talk to someone."  
  
"No!" Annie shouted with her back still to him.  
  
"Annie..."  
  
"I'll talk to you and Grandma, but no one else."  
  
Before Jed could respond, they both heard the sound of a gut-wrenching scream coming from his and Abbey's room. It was Abbey and she was in trouble.  
  
TBC 


	19. Chapter 19

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 19  
  
Previously: Jed and Abbey realize that Emma had switched Jed's medication, but Abbey stops him before he takes it. Annie's hallucinations worry her grandparents. Annie and Jed hear Abbey screaming from the First Bedroom.  
  
Summary: Jed rushes to help Abbey. Jed and Charlie talk briefly about the night of the murder. Charlie becomes suspicious when he learns Annie's having nightmares.  
  
Annie sat bolt upright as Jed quickly stood up after hearing Abbey's hysterical scream. Jed ran out of the room and raced towards their bedroom, instructing an agent to stay with Annie along the way. Another agent was already in the First Bedroom and Abbey was standing out in the hall.  
  
"What happened?" Jed asked, grabbing his wife's hands.  
  
"Jed!"  
  
"Are you okay? What happened?" he repeated.  
  
"I...nothing, I was just being silly."  
  
"Abbey, what's going on?"  
  
"I thought I saw her. I thought she was hiding under the bed."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I dropped my necklace on the floor and when I reached down to pick it up, I could have sworn Emma was under the bed. She was just laying there, staring at me, Jed. Her eyes were so cold, so vacant."  
  
Jed hugged her tightly. "Honey..."  
  
Abbey put her hands on his chest and pushed him away. "I know!" She walked around him, not able to look at him. "I guess Annie just scared me. That's all."  
  
Jed entered the bedroom, instructing the agent that everything was okay now. The agent assured him there was no one under the bed.  
  
"Thank you," he replied as he turned Abbey around and ushered her back into the room. "Please keep an eye on my granddaughter," he whispered to one of the other agents on the scene.  
  
Once inside, Jed approached Abbey from behind and put his hands on her shoulders, gently rubbing them. "You know she's not here. She's dead. We found her body. There was an autopsy."  
  
Abbey turned around. "Is Annie okay?"  
  
"She's fine. I'll go say goodnight to her in a few minutes. Abbey, what happened?" Jed asked as he closed the bedroom door to give them some privacy.  
  
"I told you what happened."  
  
"Yeah and I'm down the hall trying to convince our 16-year-old granddaughter to see a therapist. Meanwhile, you're having the same trouble she is."  
  
"What do you want me to say, Jed?"  
  
"Has this happened before?"  
  
"No. I mean, not usually. I don't hallucinate." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm having nightmares too."  
  
"Abbey, why didn't you tell me?"  
  
She saw his features soften with an obvious display of concern. "It's not what you think. It's not like your nightmares, or Annie's. Mine are different. I keep dreaming about Emma's mother. About what she must be going through."  
  
"It's not the same thing."  
  
"She lost her child!"  
  
"It's not like Zoey. It's not, Abbey."  
  
"A child is a child. Emma's mother..."  
  
"Emma's mother was a drunk who never took care of her! That's why Emma had the problems she did."  
  
"I never talked to her. Her daughter took her last breath right in front of me and I've never talked to her."  
  
Jed's eyes were filled with compassion and concern for his wife. "I don't think you should."  
  
Abbey paused for a moment and looked at her husband. He was right and she knew it, despite the fact that everything about what they were doing seemed so wrong.  
  
"Okay," she said softly.  
  
"Abbey, you can't talk to her mother. You're the last person she'd want to talk to, considering. You understand that, don't you?" he asked her.  
  
Abbey nodded, but she kept her distance from Jed as she walked over to the dresser to finish changing. Jed began to leave the room to go check on Annie and say goodnight, but he stopped when she called him back.  
  
"Jed?" She waited for him to turn to face her. "I really thought I saw her. I really thought she was under the bed."  
  
Jed grabbed his cane to help him kneel to the floor and look around. He stood back up and lovingly assured her that there was no one under the bed.  
  
After he left to see Annie, Abbey climbed into the bed, but left the light on. Had she been rattled that much that she was now hallucinating like Annie? She was seeing ghosts hiding under the bed. She felt a presence in the closet even though she felt perfectly safe when Jed was in the room with her. She wasn't dealing with this well and she knew that. She was losing control and she wondered when and how she'd finally reach her breaking point and if Jed would be strong enough to carry her through it.  
  
The day after New Year's, Jed took a break in his schedule to talk to Charlie. He was the only person who was there the night of the murder that Jed had yet to question. The truth was, he was afraid to talk to Charlie. Abbey had told him that Charlie was the only person awake when she left the house that night. Jed was worried about what Charlie had seen, but he didn't want to influence what he told the police. Now that the police questioning was over, it was time to find out what Charlie knew.  
  
"I need to know what you saw or heard on Christmas Eve," Jed told him.  
  
"Nothing, Sir."  
  
"Charlie, you've never lied to me before."  
  
Charlie couldn't dispute that. He had never lied to him before. But now was different. He couldn't tell Jed the truth because he wanted to forget the truth. He wanted to forget that he ever saw the President and the First Lady that night, that he suspected the President of killing Emma and the First Lady of helping him cover it up.  
  
"I'm not lying to you this time either," Charlie finally said.  
  
Jed knew he was holding back, but was reluctant to press the issue. Instead, he nodded and simply said, "okay."  
  
When Debbie interrupted to tell Jed he had a call, Charlie quietly left the office without another word. As he closed the door behind him, he ran into CJ.  
  
"Is he in there?" CJ asked.  
  
"Yeah, but he's taking a call."  
  
"Okay, I'll wait." CJ noticed his nervous demeanor and couldn't help but wonder how Charlie was dealing with the aftermath of the murder. "So are you finished with the police?"  
  
"Yeah, for now."  
  
"Charlie, everyone who was there is still recovering from the whole thing."  
  
"I'm fine," he said bluntly.  
  
"I'm just saying if you need to talk..."  
  
"I'm fine, CJ. Really."  
  
"Okay." She paused to look at him frantically filing things away, as if he was trying to avoid talking to her or looking at her. "I just got back from talking to Mrs. Bartlet. The poor thing has been up with Annie almost every night this week. She's still having nightmares."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Annie."  
  
Charlie stopped his filing and finally turned to look at her. "Nightmares about what?"  
  
"About Emma. About that night."  
  
"Annie wasn't at the farm that night. She was at her friend's."  
  
"Yeah, but it still happened. Whether she was there or not, it scared her."  
  
Charlie approached CJ. "Where is Mrs. Bartlet?"  
  
"At her office."  
  
"Where's Annie?" he asked.  
  
"In the Residence, I assume." CJ sensed his agitation. "Charlie, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing. Tell the President I'll be right back," Charlie said as he ran out of the office.  
  
When Charlie arrived in the Residence, Annie welcomed him in. She began to chat with him about day-to-day things, but realizing he didn't have much time, Charlie moved past the small-talk phase.  
  
"So what kind of nightmares have you been having?" he asked her.  
  
"Who told you?" she wanted to know.  
  
"It doesn't matter. I just need to know what you dream about."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I'm just curious, that's all. I think a lot of us are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."  
  
Thinking he could be going through the same thing, Annie became more comfortable with him. "Are you having nightmares too?"  
  
"Sometimes. What are yours like?"  
  
"I see her. She's got blood on her clothes and she's just walking around with her gun."  
  
"Where were you that night?" Charlie blurted out.  
  
"You know where I was."  
  
"Were you in Boston? Really?"  
  
"Charlie, why are you asking me all these questions?"  
  
Charlie walked closer to Annie, almost completely closing off the space between them. "Annie, did you see what happened that night? Did you see who killed Emma?"  
  
As Abbey walked in, she saw a speechless Annie staring at Charlie, unsure what to say.  
  
"What's going on?" Abbey asked, rushing to stand beside her granddaughter.  
  
"Nothing," Charlie answered.  
  
Abbey wasn't satisfied with his answer and was anxious to find out what Annie had to say. "Where's Jed?" she asked Charlie.  
  
"He's still in the office."  
  
Abbey took a deep breath. "Well then maybe that's where you should be too, Charlie."  
  
"Yes, Ma'am."  
  
Charlie quickly left as Abbey turned her attention towards Annie.  
  
TBC 


	20. Chapter 20

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 20  
  
Previously: Abbey thinks she's losing control when she thinks she sees Emma hiding under her bed, Charlie lies to Jed, saying he didn't see anything the night of the murder. Later, Charlie confronts Annie about where she was that night, but is interrupted by Abbey.  
  
Summary: Charlie comes clean with Jed, Leo overhears a conversation that disturbs him, and Charlie tells CJ why he thinks Annie knows more than she's letting on.   
  
Charlie headed towards the West Wing, part of him regretting the conversation he just had with Annie. He hadn't meant to frighten her. He just wanted to know what she knew, so he could put the pieces of his own puzzle together. He had hoped that Annie could put his mind at ease, that somehow, some way, she could tell him that Jed wasn't the one who killed Emma. But now that he upset the teenager, he had to tell the President.  
  
He pushed himself ahead of CJ who was still standing outside the Oval Office. He opened the door to find Jed hanging up the phone and he immediately began talking.  
  
"Sir, I need to talk to you."  
  
"Is CJ still waiting?" Jed asked.  
  
Afraid that Abbey may tell Jed before he got his chance, Charlie dismissed his question. "Yes, but it's really important. I need to talk to you now."  
  
Jed raised his eyebrows, concerned about what he was about find out. "What's the matter?"  
  
"I lied to you."  
  
Jed knew it was coming. He realized Charlie couldn't keep up the act the minute he questioned him about it earlier. "About what?"  
  
"I did see something that night and I'm afraid Annie might have seen more than I did."  
  
Jed ripped his glasses off his face. "What does Annie have to do with it?"  
  
Charlie's voice was soft and monotone. "I just went to see her. You know she's been having these nightmares?"  
  
"You went to see her? Why?"  
  
"I wanted to know what she saw."  
  
"And what did she tell you?"  
  
"Nothing. Mrs. Bartlet came in before she could say anything."  
  
"Good!" Jed exclaimed, a feeling of relief washing over him.  
  
Charlie didn't realize why Jed was keeping Annie so sheltered. He assumed Jed was just in the dark about what Annie really knew. "Sir, I really think we should talk to her..." hesaid with an urgency in his voice.  
  
Jed exploded. "For God's sakes, Charlie, she's a little girl! Leave her alone!"  
  
The shouting caught Leo's attention, who was now in his own office, listening at the door.  
  
"I'm sorry," Charlie told Jed.  
  
Jed sat behind his desk, trying to calm himself. "You said you lied?"  
  
Charlie "I did see something that night. When Mrs. Bartlet didn't return immediately after she went looking for you, I went after her. I saw you...both of you on the ground with Emma."  
  
"We had just found her body," Jed explained.  
  
"And I saw you wiping the fingerprints off the gun."  
  
Jed got up, put his hands in pockets, and began pacing back and forth, eventually leaning on his cane for support. "Why didn't you tell me this?" he asked harshly.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Did you tell the police what you saw?" Charlie didn't answer. "Charlie, I need to know. Did you tell the police?"  
  
Leo interrupted with a concern of his own. "Mr. President."  
  
"Not now, Leo!" Jed shouted.  
  
"I just thought you should know that I can hear every word you're saying in here."  
  
Jed nervously ran his fingers through his hair before excusing himself to go to the Residence. Leo followed him out to the portico, but Jed dismissed his concern and insisted that he had to get to Abbey. Leo turned back towards the Oval Office where Charlie and CJ were talking.  
  
"How much did you hear?" Leo asked CJ.  
  
"Enough to know what's going on," she replied  
  
"CJ, will you excuse us for a few minutes?" Leo waited for CJ to leave before turning his attention to Charlie. "He was upset. He'll get over it." When Charlie didn't respond, Leo continued. "Have you been lying to police?"  
  
Charlie stared at the floor, praying he could find a way to avoid this conversation. "It's nothing."  
  
"Charlie, I heard most of that conversation, so there's no way I'm buying that answer. I need to know exactly what's going on. I know you love the President. I know you're incredibly loyal to him and I admire that, but if you want to help him, tell me what's going on so I can be prepared when it all blows up in our faces."  
  
"It's not going to blow up in our faces."  
  
"You don't know that." Charlie shifted uncomfortably, but Leo kept talking. "You saw him and Abbey that night. The President cleaned off the gun? Did the President tell you to lie?"  
  
"No!" Charlie exclaimed. "He never told me to do anything."  
  
"Okay, okay." Leo had known all along that Jed's story was suspicious, at best. The rest of the staff knew it too, but as the old cliche goes, ignorance is sometimes bliss. "He and Abbey weren't together that night, were they, Charlie?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You said that Abbey went looking for him. They weren't walking around together like they claim."  
  
"I don't know anything about that."  
  
Leo nodded, realizing he wasn't going to get any answers out of Charlie. "Just tell me one thing. How long did you wait for Abbey to return when she went after Jed?" Charlie looked at Leo, but didn't open his mouth. "Charlie, did Abbey have enough time to confront Emma?"  
  
Charlie knew Leo was only trying to get to the truth and protect the First Couple, not harm them, but and right now, he needed help, he needed someone else to relieve him of the burden that night had caused. "She was gone all of five minutes," he finally whispered.  
  
"That's all I needed to know," Leo replied as Charlie left the office.  
  
CJ was still waiting outside and this time, she was even more eager to talk to Charlie. She, too, had known there was something more to the Christmas Eve story than everyone was letting on. She tried to ask Abbey about it many times, but each time, she felt like she was prying. She had a special relationship with the First Lady. Abbey trusted CJ. They had an intimate bond Abbey didn't have with any other member of her husband's staff. But now that CJ knew part of the truth, her curiosity got the best of her and she wanted to know more.  
  
"So you talked to Annie about her nightmares?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Charlie, you can talk to me."  
  
Charlie looked into her eyes and saw the sincerity. CJ was trustworthy and he knew that. She would never intentionally hurt the President and if she could, she would want to help. Realizing that made it easier to open up to her. "Yeah," he repeated. "She's a mess."  
  
"She's 16. She's had a rough year and a terrible holiday. I'd be worried if she wasn't a mess." CJ replied.  
  
"I think it's more than that."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Charlie walked closer to CJ so no one else would overhear their conversation. "Annie was visiting her friend in Boston the night of the murder. How long would it take someone to get from Boston to Manchester?"  
  
"I don't know. Forty-five minutes?"  
  
"Right up I-93, with good traffic and good weather."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
He nodded, remembering the time he spent outside the night of the murder. He remembered what he heard transmitted over the police scanner. "It was horrible outside that night, CJ. The snow was falling too fast for emergency crews to keep up. The highway patrol closed the interstate all the way down to the Mass border."  
  
"So?" CJ was still confused about his line of reasoning and the conclusion he was reaching.  
  
"So how is it that Annie drove from Boston through a blizzard, without taking the interstate and made it to the farm in 20 minutes?"  
  
Now he got her attention. CJ tilted her head, giving herself a second to absorb the point he just made. "No one asked her about this?"  
  
"A dead body had just been found right outside the house. No one was keeping track of Annie's travelogue."  
  
She understood his implication, but she wanted him to spell it out. "What are you getting at, Charlie?"  
  
"I'm saying Annie never made it to Boston that night. Or if she did, she came back before they shut down the highway. So if she wasn't in Boston when her mother called her, where was she?"  
  
"She's a teenager. Maybe she has a secret boyfriend or something," CJ replied, trying to dismiss his suspicions, even though she had some of her own now.  
  
"No, I don't think so. I think she saw something that night. That's why she's been clinging to her grandparents. That's why she's here, at the White House, instead of back home, getting ready to go back to school. "  
  
"What could she have seen that would have spooked her so badly?"  
  
"Maybe she saw what really happened, maybe she saw how Emma died," Charlie concluded, secretly hoping that what Annie saw would take his suspicion off Jed.  
  
TBC 


	21. Chapter 21

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 21  
  
Previously: Charlie told Jed he saw him wiping off the gun that was used to kill Emma, Leo overheard Jed and Charlie talking about evidence-tampering, Charlie told CJ that there's no way Annie could have been in Boston the night of the murder.  
  
Summary: Leo confronts Jed with his suspicions.  
  
CJ stared at Charlie, still trying to comprehend the ramifications of his suspicions. "Just because she had some dreams, you think she witnessed a murder?"  
  
"It's not just the dreams. It's the discrepancy in where she was, it's her behavior since that night, it's the fact that she didn't go home with her mom and dad and that the President is keeping her so sheltered."  
  
"He's always protective of his family."  
  
"From the press. Not from his staff," he countered. "When was the last time you spoke to Annie?" Her silence was his answer. "Mrs. Bartlet won't let her anywhere near any of us and neither will the President."  
  
"In fairness, I haven't really tried to talk to her."  
  
"Yeah, well, I have and trust me, something isn't right."  
  
When the President returned to the Oval Office, Leo was waiting for him. Up until now, he had kept the discussion about the murder to a minimum, knowing Jed was being bombarded by the legal hassle. Leo's information was given on a need-to-know basis and he was fine with that, but now things had changed. Overhearing Jed and Charlie's conversation convinced Leo he needed more details than Jed was voluntarily willing to give.  
  
Jed knew he'd eventually start asking questions. So when he came in from the portico and found Leo sitting in a chair in his office, he figured the time had come.  
  
"Is CJ still here?" Jed asked.  
  
"No, she went back to her office. She said she'd talk to you later."  
  
Jed began filing papers into his briefcase, trying to avoid eye contact with Leo. "Sorry I had to take off so quickly."  
  
"Mr. President, are you sure there's nothing I should know?"  
  
"No, there's nothing you should know. Everything's fine."  
  
"Then why did Charlie say you wiped off the gun you found next to Emma's body?" Jed continued filing his papers, ignoring him. "Jed, if you tampered with evidence, I need to know about it now."  
  
"You're not my lawyer, Leo," he snapped.  
  
"But I'm your Chief of Staff. And more importantly, I'm your friend." Jed walked from one end of the office to the other, mindlessly picking up extra files to organize or sift through, in hopes of ending the conversation, but Leo continued. "Do you want to know what I think?"  
  
"Could we end this discussion right now if I said no?"  
  
Leo placed his hands on Jed's desk trying to force him to make eye contact. "I think Jed Bartlet wouldn't lie about a murder. He wouldn't tamper with evidence. No, he'd want to find out who did it and he'd want that person brought to justice, no matter who the victim was."  
  
He succeeded. Jed was now looking him in the eye. "Leo."  
  
Unaffected by the tone in his voice, Leo continued. "And if he did it, he'd cop to it. His conscious wouldn't let him live with the lie." Leo turned his back to Jed, walking away from the desk, but finishing his hypothesis. "Other than his children, who by the way, were safely tucked in bed at the time of the murder, the only person that Jed Bartlet would lie for is his wife." He turned to face Jed, who was now staring him down with coldness in his eyes. "Abbey killed Emma and you're covering for her."  
  
It took Jed a moment to collect his thoughts and decide how to proceed. "That's what you think?"  
  
"That's what I think."  
  
"You're wrong."  
  
Leo approached Jed once again, but this time held back a little further. "Yes, I am. Abbey didn't kill her."  
  
Jed's demeanor slightly changed, not knowing what kind of mind games Leo was playing. "You just said you think she did it."  
  
"I think that's what you think. I think you think Abbey did it and that's why you've been covering this up. But what if I told you that I know Abbey didn't kill Emma?"  
  
"I already know she didn't," Jed insisted as he finished shoving papers into his briefcase.  
  
"Charlie says Abbey was gone five minutes before he went after her. She didn't have time..."  
  
"Leo, I said I know! Just drop it, okay?" Jed blurted out.  
  
"If you're not protecting Abbey, then what the hell are you doing?" he asked, his voice rising to meet Jed's.  
  
"What I'm doing is getting ready for a day full of meetings."  
  
"Your mind isn't at work today. You're packing your briefcase for God's sake."  
  
Jed looked down at his half-finished task. "Yes, I am." He ignored the obvious chore and sat down at his desk. "I have a lot of reading to do. So if you'll excuse me..."  
  
Leo left without another word. Jed watched him walk out, then took off his reading glasses and sighed. All the lying was tearing him apart. The only person he was being completely truthful with was Abbey. She was the only one he could count on right now, the only one who knew what he was going through and was willing to go through it herself. Throughout their marriage, they had always been a team. They frequently joked that it was them versus the rest of the world. At no other time was it more true than it was right now.  
  
TBC 


	22. Chapter 22

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 22  
  
Previously: Leo told Jed he thinks Jed is covering for Abbey, but Leo is certain Abbey didn't kill Emma. Jed insisted he already knew that.  
  
Summary: The police suspect Annie knows more than she's letting on. Jed recalls the important talk he and Abbey had the night after Christmas after Annie's nightmare.  
  
Just FYI: Part of the flashback was already played out in a previous chapter. The flashback will recap that scene, and continue so there is new information there.  
  
When Jed returned to the Residence that night, he was in for some more bad news.  
  
"The police want to talk to Annie," Abbey told him.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"A Secret Service agent told them that he saw Annie running towards her car the night of the murder and that she was frazzled. So they talked to her friend Jennifer, who told them that Annie never made it to Boston that night."  
  
Jed took off his jacket and harshly threw it on the sofa. "Damn it! The agent just came forward NOW? It's been a WEEK!"  
  
"Maybe it slipped his mind before."  
  
"Things like that don't just slip your mind!"  
  
Abbey tried to come up with another explanation. "Maybe he told them right away and it took the police longer to piece it all together."  
  
"And why didn't Annie tell us she was spotted?"  
  
"It doesn't matter. They're suspicious, Jed. They know we lied about where Annie was."  
  
He turned away from her. "We didn't know we were lying when we told them that she was in Boston."  
  
Abbey walked over to put her hands on his shoulder. "But they know she lied -- to us, to them, to everyone. I'm sure they want to know what she knows, or what she saw that night."  
  
He grabbed her hand and brought it down to his side as he turned around to face her. "What did you tell them?"  
  
"That she wouldn't answer any questions until we could talk to our attorney. I think she needs to sit down with Tom."  
  
Jed nodded in agreement and thought back to the night after Christmas.  
  
Flashback  
  
Annie had had a nightmare and Abbey invited her to sleep in her bed since Jed was working late. By the time Jed made it to bed, grandmother and granddaughter were asleep in the First Couple's bedroom.  
  
Abbey began to stir just as Jed bent down to kiss her cheek.  
  
"Jed."  
  
"Shhhh, go back to sleep." He looked to her side and saw Annie under the covers. "Is she okay?"  
  
"Yeah, just a nightmare." She turned her gaze from Annie back to Jed. "We have to talk."  
  
Jed put his finger over his lips and took her hand, helping her out of bed. He opened his drawer to take out an oversized sweathshirt to wear with his boxers, then led her into one of the other bedrooms so they wouldn't disturb their granddaughter.  
  
"I already know. I found the bottle," he told her, referring to her bottle of Valium he found on the floor before he woke her.  
  
Abbey was confused momentarily, then it dawned on her what he was talking about. "No, no, I didn't. I wanted to, but then Annie screamed and..." She stopped for a second when she saw the smile on his face. "I'm sorry. I'm trying, I really am."  
  
He put his arms around her waist and swayed her from side to side against his body. "What else is going on?"  
  
"It's Annie. She knew that Emma had her blue suede jacket on the night she died."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So Annie's never seen that jacket...she shouldn't have known that. I think she was there, Jed. I think she saw something."  
  
Jed let go of Abbey as he tried to come up with an explanation. "Emma may have worn the jacket at Thanksgiving."  
  
"No, Jed, she didn't. And Annie got back to the farm after the body was removed. There's no way she would have known what Emma had on."  
  
He walked over to her and cupped her cheeks in his palm. "Abbey, I think you're overreacting."  
  
She put her hands over his and walked out of his hold, turning her back to him. "She's been having nightmares, you said she pulled away from you when you went to touch her last night. "Maybe she saw what happened."  
  
"Wait, this still doesn't make sense. If she saw what happened, why would she pull away from me? Why wouldn't she pull away from you, if she really saw what you..."  
  
Abbey spun around to look at her husband. "Jed." He lowered his head as she finished. "That's the second time today that you've referred to me and what I did."  
  
"I'm sorry," he said, his eyes still not meeting hers.  
  
Abbey's face lit up as if someone had just waved a red flag in front of her. "You know, something just occurred to me."  
  
"What?"  
  
She walked back over to her husband and grasped his chin, lifting his head. "We never talked about it. We never said the words."  
  
"What words?"  
  
"Did you kill her, Jed?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Because I didn't."  
  
"Abbey, why are you..." Jed shrugged her hand away and stepped back as he took a deep breath. "Abbey?"  
  
Abbey shook her head. "I didn't kill her, Jed." She walked closer to him again, closing off the space between them. "And neither did you."Jed stood perfectly still as Abbey looked deeply into his eyes and continued. "I know you didn't because you think I did it, don't you?" Jed was still unable to speak. "Jed?"  
  
In the three minutes it took him to respond, you could hear a pin drop on the carpet in that room. "Yes," he whispered, shaken by her revelation. "Yes, I really thought..."  
  
She cut him off. "Why would you think that? You were the one who found her. I showed up after you."  
  
"If that's teh case, Abbey, then you must have showed up only seconds after I found her. I saw her laying there and I ran over and the next thing I know, there you are, right behind me, looking down at us. I just assumed you had been there the whole time, that you got there first."  
  
"No. I walked up behind you and you were cradling her in your arms. I just sat down next to you. I wasn't there. The way you were holding her, the way you cried over her body, I thought she was trying to get in the house and you fought her and the gun went off."  
  
"You thought I did it," he stated.  
  
Abbey nodded. "What else was I supposed to think? You wiped off the gun, it was your idea to lie to the police..."  
  
"To protect you, to give you an alibi, so they wouldn't come after you."  
  
Husband and wife were dumbfounded by the sudden change of events. The only reason they had each been lying was to protect the other. It had been two nights since the murder and if Jed had known then what he knew this very second, he wouldn't have cleaned off the gun, he wouldn't have tampered with the scene at all. In fact, he would have led the investigators to the untouched crime scene, in hopes of bringing the real killer to justice.  
  
Jed sat on the edge of the bed and buried his head into his hands. "Abbey, what have we been doing?"  
  
Abbey sat next to him and absent-mindedly placed an arm around him, rubbing his shoulder. "Covering up a murder neither one of us committed."  
  
Jed turned his body to stare at her. She returned his gaze and for a brief moment, a smile crossed both their faces. Things were still a mess, but they realized they each went to so much trouble out of love for the other.  
  
The warm moment was soon interrupted by Abbey reaching behind her to pick up a pillow to hurl at him. "Jackass!" she exclaimed as she stood up.  
  
As soon as the pillow made contact, Jed rushed to his feet. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"  
  
"You thought I killed someone! How could you think that?"  
  
"Abbey!"  
  
"After thirty years of marriage..."  
  
"Abbey, you thought the same about me."  
  
"That's different."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Jed stretched out his hands as he reached for her, chuckling. "Come here, my little murderess."  
  
She pushed his hand away. "Jed. Don't even joke about that."  
  
"You don't think it's just a little bit humorous?"  
  
"No. At least when I thought it was you, I had answers. If it wasn't you and it wasn't me, who killed her? And what did Annie see? What if she saw...God, Jed, what if she saw the person who killed her?"  
  
Abbey's words sparked silence between them. All they could do now was talk to Annie. They realized she may be the one person who could fill in the gaps and tell everyone who murdered Emma. But if that was true, then a killer was still on the loose and they feared for Annie's safety.  
  
Jed was brought back to the present by a familiar voice. It was Annie.  
  
"Do they know?" Annie asked as she emerged from the hallway.  
  
Abbey spun around, startled by her granddaughter's presence. "Annie."  
  
Annie backed away, not wanting any comfort. "The police want to talk to me, right?"  
  
Abbey took the hint and didn't approach her. "You shouldn't have been listening."  
  
"Do they know?" she repeated.  
  
"No," Jed told her.  
  
Annie took a minute to collect her thoughts before continuing. "Maybe it's time we tell them. I can't keep it a secret any more."  
  
TBC 


	23. Chapter 23

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 23  
  
Previously: Jed and Abbey discussed the police wanting to talk to Annie. Through a flashback, Jed remembered the night he and Abbey discovered that neither of them killed Emma.  
  
Summary: Annie wants to reveal what she knows. Jed remembers finding out who killed Emma.  
  
Annie backed away, not wanting any comfort. "The police want to talk to me, right?"  
  
Abbey took the hint and didn't approach her. "You shouldn't have been listening."  
  
"Do they know?" she asked.  
  
"No," Jed told her.  
  
Annie took a minute to collect her thoughts before continuing. "Maybe it's time we tell them. I can't keep it a secret any more."  
  
Jed took a step towards her, but Annie waved him back. "Annie."  
  
"Gramps, I know what you're going to say, but it's out of control. They know I lied, Charlie knows I lied..."  
  
Abbey cut her off. "You let us worry about that."  
  
Jed approached her slowly, placing his hand on hers. "I don't want you to worry about anything, Sweetheart. I told you that."  
  
Flashback  
  
It seemed like the night that would never end. Jed and Abbey waited patiently for the sun to rise and for Annie to wake up. Knowing she had been plagued by nightmares which kept her awake since the murder, two nights before, they wanted her to rest peacefully.  
  
When she did wake up, they locked themselves in the First Bedroom, asking the agent outside to make sure no one disturbed them or overheard their conversation. It was simply family business.  
  
Jed got right to the point. "We need to know if you were at the farm on Christmas Eve."  
  
"Yes, I was there with the rest of the family," Annie replied, still laying in bed with the covers over her.  
  
"No. I mean, later."  
  
Annie swallowed hard, realizing her lies were catching up to her. "I went to Jennifer's."  
  
Abbey walked over to the bed and sat next to her, trying to show her support. "Sweetie, we know you saw Emma that night." Annie gazed up at her grandmother. "You said she wore a blue suede jacket in your dreams. You couldn't have known that's what she was wearing when she died."  
  
Annie could have lied again. She could have said she got back from Boston before the body was taken away. But part of her wanted to tell the truth. She didn't want to live with the secret any more. She got out of bed and retreated into the corner, wrapping her arms around her waist.  
  
Jed was moved by the hurt that was coming across on her face. "Honey, we just want to sort this all out. We want to know who killed Emma so the killer can be brought to justice. You have to tell us what you know."  
  
"I can't," Annie said, her voice laced with anguish.  
  
"Why not?" Jed asked.  
  
"Because I'm afraid."  
  
"There's nothing to be afraid of. We won't let anyone hurt you. Sweetheart, if you know who the killer is, you have to tell us. We have to put them away so they can't terrorize anyone ever again." Annie stood still, staring at her grandfather with tears in her eyes. "Annie, you can't protect this person. You have to tell us who it is. We'll help. I promise."  
  
"I can't," she repeated.  
  
Jed's voice got stronger as he began to lose his patience. "You have to."  
  
"Jed," Abbey interrupted.  
  
He turned around to look at her. "She has to."  
  
"You're scaring her."  
  
"Abbey, she has to tell us. She's the only one who can."  
  
"And in her own time, she will," Abbey insisted.  
  
"To hell with her own time! There's a killer out there!" he shouted. "He has to be brought to justice! Now I know how you felt about Emma..."  
  
Abbey rolled her eyes and turned away. "Oh God, not this again."  
  
"...but even you can't stand there and tell me the person who killed her should get away with it!"  
  
"Did I say that? Did I EVER say anything like that?"  
  
As the two argued, Annie leaned against the wall and lowered herself to the floor. Her shaking got Jed's attention. He went over and attempted to grab her arm. "Annie."  
  
Anniie shrugged his hand away harshly.  
  
Abbey knew something wasn't right. "Annie, what's wrong?"  
  
"That's the second time you've pulled away from me," Jed said.  
  
He took her hand and gently lifted her up. When she was standing in front of him, he slowly lifted the long sleeves on her pajama top. Both he and Abbey gasped at what they saw. Her entire arm glowed with black and blue bruises.  
  
"Oh my god," Abbey sighed.  
  
"Who did this?" Jed asked.  
  
Annie knew it was now or never. Her eyes welled up with tears. "I didn't mean to do it. I swear, I didn't mean it. I didn't want her to die."  
  
"Jed?" Abbey called, bringing him back to the present.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What do you think? Do you think she should tell the police?"  
  
"No," he answered bluntly.  
  
TBC 


	24. Chapter 24

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 24  
  
Previously: Jed remembered the morning Annie said she killed Emma. Annie wanted to confess to the police, who were now suspicious of her whereabouts on the night of the murder, but Jed refused to let her.  
  
Summary: Jed and Abbey disagree about how to help a distraught Annie. Abbey takes matters into her own hands.  
  
Annie stood in the shower of her bedroom in the Residence. She let the water pour over her, bouncing off her already wet skin. She was used to showers like this. She was used to going about her day like a zombie, still shocked over that one night. Ever since the murder, things hadn't been the same. Every thought was consumed with images of Emma and whether or not anyone would find out what she had done.  
  
Annie wanted to come forward. Despite her apprehension about the outcome, she wanted to confess. But her grandfather warned her against it. He promised he'd take care of everything. Well, almost everything. He couldn't take away her guilt and her fear, no matter how badly he wanted to.  
  
It had been a week since the police had called to talk to her and she knew that despite her lawyer's successful attempts thus far, she couldn't avoid answering the tough questions forever and being railroaded is what scared her more than anything. She lost her breath just thinking about it.  
  
After she rinsed her hair, Annie opened the shower curtain and reached for a towel on the rack. She carefully stepped out of the tub and began to dry herself off. Her eyes wandered around the bathroom until her they locked on the mirror in front of her. Her towel, which was wrapped around her petite body, fell to the floor, leaving her wet, naked, and terrified.  
  
On the steam-covered bathroom mirror, were the words "EB was here." At first, she was paralyzed, unable to even scream, but her gut reaction was to pick up her toothbrush holder and hurl it towards the horrifying phrase. The glass shattered, but her fear didn't.  
  
"HELP!" Annie finally shouted over and over until she was heard.  
  
Three agents ran to her bedroom to find her sitting on the floor of her bathroom, completely naked. As one covered her with the discarded towel, the other two searched the room.  
  
When Jed heard about the commotion in the Residence, he ended his meeting in the Oval Office and headed for the door. No longer needing his cane since Abbey had given him a new bottle of steroids, he ran towards Annie's room, nearly knocking over everyone in his path.  
  
As he walked through her door, he found Abbey sitting on the bed with Annie's head on her shoulder. She was stroking her head gently.  
  
"What happened?" he asked.  
  
"It's fine. The Secret Service made a clean sweep," Abbey replied.  
  
Jed turned his eyes to his granddaughter. "Annie?"  
  
"Her initials," Annie said weakly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"EB. Emma Bradford. 'Emma Bradford was here.' That's what it said on the mirror when I got out of the shower."  
  
Jed went into the bathroom and noticed the shattered glass. "Who did this?"  
  
"I did," Annie admitted. "I wanted to get rid of it."  
  
"Honey, the agent said there was nothing on the glass," Abbey reminded her.  
  
"There was before I broke it."  
  
Jed joined them on the bed and the First Couple sat with their granddaughter until her anxiety melted away. With each passing day, Abbey's concern was growing. She was caring for a 16-year-old girl who had been so traumatized that she could no longer sleep with the lights off, she couldn't be around other people for fear they would notice that she's changed, she couldn't even take a shower in peace anymore. Annie was on a seemingly endless downward spiral and Abbey wasn't sure how far she'd go before she hit bottom.  
  
That night, as they got ready for bed, Abbey brought up the subject with Jed. "I think we're handling the situation with Annie all wrong."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean I think if she wants to confess, we should let her."  
  
"Abbey, we agreed..."  
  
"No, Jed, we didn't. You said what you thought, then you tried to convince me. I went along with it because I wasn't sure, not because I agreed."  
  
"And now you're sure?"  
  
"Yes. I'm sure we're doing the wrong thing." Jed shook his head cynically while getting into bed and sliding under the blanket. Abbey walked over and rested her knee on the matress, leaning in towards him. "She's being tormented, Jed."  
  
"By her own mind. That isn't going to go away if she goes to the police."  
  
"Maybe it will. Maybe it's the guilt that's making her react this way."  
  
"And maybe it's not. Maybe if she admits to everything, she'll still be having nightmares, she'll still be hallucinating. Only then, she'll be doing it behind steel bars!"  
  
Abbey crawled into bed, ignoring her husband's glance. "I want to call Liz. She should know what's going on."  
  
"No. We can handle this. There's no reason to get Lizzie involved."  
  
"Annie is her daughter. She has a right to know."  
  
"Abbey, you, Annie, and I made a pact. Do you remember that? When she told us the story, we promised we would never tell anyone. And we're not going to," he said firmly.  
  
"When did you become the one who makes all the decisions?" Her question was met with another cynical eye-roll. "No, really. What is this really about? Why are you so adamant about how we should handle this?"  
  
"Because I love my granddaughter."  
  
"And I don't?" Her tone was accusatory.  
  
"I didn't say that! Damn it, Abbey, we agreed to keep this to ourselves! We need to help her through it, yes, but calling Liz will only upset her, and going to the police will only land her in jail."  
  
"It was self defense, Jed. Emma grabbed her and put a gun to her head!"  
  
"And you're sure a jury's going to believe her?"  
  
"You're innocent until proven guilty in this country. They have no reason not to believe her."  
  
"Oh really? Well, gee, Annie, did you lie about where you were on Christmas Eve? Did you lie during police questioning regarding the dead body that landed on your family's doorstep? Did you and your grandparents make a secret deal to fool investigators and the nation about what really happened to Emma Bradford? Do you want me to continue?"  
  
Abbey curled up under the blanket and turned her back to him. "I got it."  
  
"Abbey, it's the only way we can get through this. I don't want to jeopardize Annie's future. Now if she had come forward in the beginning, if we knew what happened before it got this out of hand, hell, even if after she told us, if we had said 'yes, let's go to the police right now,' that's one thing, but we've waited too long to give her a fighting chance in a courtroom."  
  
"I said I got it," she snapped as she pulled the blanket higher to cover part of her face.  
  
Jed turned off the light and rolled over to his side. Abbey may have said she understood, but she was still determined to do what she needed to help her granddaughter, whether or not Jed approved. It had gone too far now and the only way to get Annie the peace of mind she needed was to make her face what had happened.  
  
The next morning when her grandparents left for work, Annie did what she had done on so many other days -- she went for a walk in the garden. Being alone was common for this once-social butterfly. Nowadays, she had closed herself off from everyone but her family. Even when Elizabeth would call with messages from her friends and classmates back in New Hampshire, Annie would dismiss them. She was depressed and lonely and the walk around the garden was the only time she would actually leave the Residence.  
  
But on this day, Annie was more jumpy than usual. Perhaps it was because of the shower incident the day before or the nightmares she was having. Or maybe the stress of the situation was just getting to her. It didn't matter what was causing it. Her anxiety level was at an all-time high and it was about to get even higher.  
  
As she walked along the concrete path admiring her surroundings, she looked up. In that brief moment, something caught her eye. She thought it was her imagination playing tricks on her so she looked away for a moment before turning her gaze to the frightful sight once again. It was still there -- in a window on the fifth floor, there she stood, staring at her with those cold, vacant eyes she was now infamous for. It was Emma.  
  
Annie let out a bone-chilling scream as Secret Service agents swarmed her on the ground and snipers on the roof got their weapons ready. But, once again, it was a false alarm. Agents looked up at the window Annie pointed out to them and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Inside the building, other agents searched the room, but again, it was clear.  
  
Abbey rushed back from her office after she was called by one of the agents. She comforted Annie for only a few moments before she decided she had to take matters into her own hands. She left Annie sitting on the couch and walked over to the phone to begin dialing.  
  
"Lizzie, it's Mom. Can you get away for a few days? I need you to come to Washington."  
  
TBC 


	25. Chapter 25

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 25  
  
Previously: Jed and Abbey disagreed about what to do about Annie, who was seeing Emma at every turn. Abbey called Elizabeth.  
  
Summary: Elizabeth is determined to help her daughter. Annie recalls the details of Emma's death.  
  
Elizabeth caught the first flight to Washington and arrived at the White House only hours later. She was completely stunned by what little Abbey had told her on the phone. She now knew why her daughter was behaving so strangely, why her parents had wanted her to stay in Washington instead of going back to New Hampshire with her family. She knew and she was angry.  
  
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" she kept asking a speechless Abbey, who took the brunt of her anger until Jed arrived at the Residece.  
  
"Liz, what are you doing here?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Abbey hadn't talked to him since she called Liz, but given their conversation the night before, it wasn't difficult to figure out why his daughter would show up out of the blue.  
  
"Jed, I didn't get a chance to tell you," Abbey said.  
  
Jed walked over to his wife, addressing her with his own anger. "You told her to come."  
  
"Yes, Dad, she did and I'm glad she did. Both of you should have called me sooner. In fact, you should have told me before Doug and I left! She killed a woman and you don't think I, as her mother, had a right to know that?"  
  
"Liz, it wasn't as simple as that," Jed tried to reason.  
  
"Why wasn't it? You had no right to keep me in the dark. Annie is my daughter, not yours."  
  
"We love her," Abbey reminded her.  
  
"And we wanted to protect her," Jed added.  
  
Liz turned to Jed coldly. "Because you couldn't protect Zoey?"  
  
"Elizabeth!" Abbey exclaimed.  
  
She took her eyes off Jed and turned to her mother. "Where's my daughter?"  
  
"She's in her room."  
  
Jed stared at Liz as she left the sitting room and headed towards Annie's bedroom. Abbey approached him slowly from behind, putting a comforting hand on the back of his shoulder. Jed took a step forward, rejecting her touch, then turned to face her.  
  
"You shouldn't have called her," he said.  
  
"I did what I thought was best," she answered.  
  
"What you thought was best? You knew how I felt."  
  
"Yes, and you knew I disagreed with you." Jed put his hands in his pocket and turned away from her. "I love Annie just as much as you do, Jed. I won't apologize for trying to help her."  
  
"This isn't the kind of help she needed!" Jed shouted as he turned back around and walked back towards Abbey.  
  
"Says you! Liz and I disagree. You're outnumbered on this one and don't you dare get angry with me because I didn't obey your 'order!'" She crossed in front of him to put some distance between them as she calmed herself down, then turned around, now facing his back. "Jed, look at me." Abbey put her hand on his arm to spin him around. "What's going on? This isn't like you." Jed listened to what she was saying but didn't say a word. "The morning we talked to Annie, you wanted to know what she had seen because you wanted to bring the real killer to justice. And now, you're risking everything to continue covering this up."  
  
"Annie doesn't need to be brought to justice, Abbey."  
  
"I know that. But she's so scared. She needs to come forward, for her own peace of mind. Can't you see that?" He didn't answer. "Jed? Is this about Zoey?"  
  
That got his attention. "Are you channeling Liz now?"  
  
The shiny tears in his eyes melted Abbey's heart. She took his hand in hers and stroked the back of his fingers. "This is the right thing to do. You know it deep down. I know you do."  
  
Later, in Annie's room, Liz helped her daughter pack up her clothes. Other than exchanging a few pleasantries, the two worked in complete silence, neither knowing what to say to the other. Liz had been told the basics about the murder, but the details she wanted could only come from Annie.  
  
"I need to know what happened on Christmas Eve," she finally said as she stood behind her daughter.  
  
Annie didn't look at her. She continued folding her clothes and laying them on the bed. "Didn't they already tell you?"  
  
"I need more. I don't understand. You have to help me understand."  
  
"How?"  
  
Liz walked over and sat on the bed, now facing her daughter. "By walking me through it."  
  
Annie still avoided her glance. "I left to go to Jennifer's and I heard something outside. Before I could turn around..." Sensing the pain in her voice, Liz put her hand over Annie's as a show of support while the teen caught her breath and continued. "...she grabbed me and twisted me around so that my back was to her."  
  
"Did she say anything to you?"  
  
"She was mumbling something."  
  
Flashback  
  
"It's payback time! She took Michael, she took everything!" Emma shouted as Annie struggled to free herself from her grasp.  
  
"What are you talking about? Who's Michael?" Annie kept asking, tears trailing down her cheeks.  
  
Emma tightened her hold and shoved her gun into Annie's side. "She sent you out here to guard her, didn't she?"  
  
"No. I don't even know what's going on. Please, let me go. You're hurting me!"  
  
"Everytime I begged her to let go, she just held me tighter. My arms hurt so badly from how she was pulling me to her body, but I struggled even more because I kept thinking I could eventually get away." For the first time since the conversation began, Annie looked up at her mother. "But I couldn't. She was too strong. I tried to scream, I wanted to get someone's attention, but she kept ramming the gun into my gut over and over again."  
  
"Annie, I'm so sorry we didn't hear you."  
  
"She told me she already killed a secret service agent and that she would kill anyone who stood between her and Grandma."  
  
"She was taunting you."  
  
Annie nodded. "I thought she would kill me. And then I remembered some of the self-defense moves that Dad taught me. I twisted my arm and pulled it up towards her thumb. That released her hold on me and I was able to turn around. I guess it was the adrenaline that kept me from running at that point because I wanted to get the gun away from her. I didn't mean for it to go off."  
  
"Did you pull the trigger?"  
  
"I don't know. I hit her a few times and she punched me back. We both fought over the gun. I don't know which one of us actually did it. At first, I thought I had been the one who was shot, then I saw her face and she stepped backwards and fell down."  
  
Flashback:  
  
Annie watched as Emma grasped her stomach and fell to the ground, her eyes still open and her mouth moving, though not forming any words. Blood covered the scene and Annie began to walk backwards, still keeping her eyes on Emma.  
  
"On my god, oh my god," she kept mumbling as she ran towards her car.  
  
Just before reaching her destination, she was stopped by a Secret Service Agent.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked.  
  
Annie realized that the silencer on the gun must have kept him from hearing the shot. She quickly closed her coat before he had a chance to notice the blood on her sweater. "I'm fine," she answered. "Just in a hurry."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm sure. Everything's fine."  
  
"I got into my car and I just kept driving. I didn't care where I went, I just wanted to get away from there. I took off my sweater in the car and switched into the clothes I brought with me in my overnight bag."  
  
"What did you do with the sweater?" Liz asked.  
  
"I tore it up with a pair of scissors in my car. It was in a million pieces when I buried it in the park. I know it was wrong. I was just scared. I was so scared."  
  
Liz stood up and pulled Annie into her arms. "I know you were."  
  
"I'm so sorry, Mom."  
  
Jed stood in the hall and watched mother and daughter from the crack in the door. Liz was right. She should have been told what was going on with Annie. Annie needed her Mom and now, he knew he needed to support her as she prepared to go back to New Hampshire to face her deamons -- and the police.  
  
TBC 


	26. Chapter 26

Sweet Revenge  
  
Chapter 26  
  
Previously: Elizabeth came to Washington to take Annie back to New Hampshire where she could talk to the police.  
  
Summary: The Bartlet gang face the consequences and have a special visitor.  
  
Liz and Annie boarded the plane and left Washington alone. Now it was Jed's turn to come clean. He had to tell his staff what was about to happen and he was concerned about their reaction.  
  
First was the matter of telling Charlie. He always valued Charlie's loyalty and loved him like a son. If he could have, he would have told Charlie the truth right away, but Annie's future was at stake and that was something he couldn't gamble with, not even for Charlie.  
  
"I hope you understand," Jed told him. "And I hope you're not angry."  
  
"Angry? No, Sir, I'm not. I'm relieved."  
  
"Relieved?"  
  
"Yes, Sir. After I saw what I did, I assumed you were the one..." Charlie cut himself off, feeling uncomfortable.  
  
"It's okay. So did Abbey."  
  
"She didn't know that Annie did it?"  
  
"No. Neither of us did until three days later."  
  
Charlie chuckled at the irony of Jed and Abbey suspecting one another, but he secretly hoped that he could one day find that kind of love with someone. It was the kind of love that would make you risk everything to keep the other person safe, even if it meant breaking laws, lying to those closest to you, and even covering up a murder.  
  
He once thought he had found that person. It was Zoey. But she was taken away from him and he never learned to accept that he would someday find someone else he felt that immediate bond with. That kind of connection only came along once in a lifetime, he always told himself. And when it's broken, you could never get it back.  
  
"You know," Jed began, bringing Charlie out of his daze, "Liz assumed the reason I wanted to protect Annie was because I was so powerless when Zoey was kidnapped."  
  
"Was she right?"  
  
"Maybe a little. For the second time, I let evil into our lives. I caused it to happen and I couldn't do a damn thing to stop it."  
  
"It wasn't your fault, Sir. None of it was your fault."  
  
Jed nodded, waving off Charlie's attempts to comfort him. "If Emma had killed Annie...if she had pulled that trigger or if Annie hadn't fought back, I don't know what I would have done. I may not have brought her into this building, but I helped her threaten all of us by supporting her, believing in her, and defending her to everyone else. When Annie told us what happened, I felt as helpless as I did with Zoey." Jed looked up at the younger man, knowing he was still feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Charlie, do you ever think about Zoey?"  
  
"Every minute of every day," he answered honestly.  
  
"Yeah, me too."  
  
The two men sat side by side, staring at the floor, not really knowing what words needed to be said. The silence, itself, spoke volumes.  
  
As Jed told the rest of the staff the truth about Annie, they each reacted with shock, disbelief, and even curiosity. Leo was the most vocal, insisting Jed should have prepared him for this as soon as he found out. Jed tried to repeatedly explain why he and Abbey felt it was necessary to keep everyone else in the dark, but, for the most part, his explanation fell on deaf ears. There was damage control which needed to be done and it was the senior staff's job to do it.  
  
Surprisingly, the person who had been put in the most awkward position of having to handle the press, was the one who expressed the most support. Years earlier, Jed had told CJ to never underestimate the love and the power of a grandfather, that they would do anything for their grandchildren. It was a lesson she never forgot and one that she was reminded of when she learned the truth. Jed and Abbey weren't covering up a murder to protect a stranger, or to seek revenge on the woman who threatened to make their lives a living hell. They did what they did out of love for their grandchild. She understood that and she prayed the rest of the world would too.  
  
Months later, it became obvious. Many people did understand. Most didn't fault the First Couple for doing what so many of them would have done for their own kids and grandkids. But public opinion aside, laws were still broken and three people were dead. It had now been three months since Annie confessed to Emma's murder. Annie still wasn't sure if she was the one who actually pulled the trigger on that gun, but that didn't even matter. A judge found that Annie was acting in self-defense. There was enough evidence presented during her hearing that the case never even went to trial. Given Emma's state-of-mind, testimony from witnesses who claimed to have run-ins with her, and that infamous journal, coupled with the fact that two USSS agents were shot and killed by bullets that came from a gun registered to Emma, there was sufficient evidence to back up the judge's ruling.  
  
Jed and Abbey got a slap on the wrist for their part in the cover-up and for tampering with the gun. Some constituents used the whole situation against them, claiming anyone else would have been charged with Obstruction of Justice. Supporters argued that given the circumstances, the judge's decision was a fair one. Once again, a controversial tragedy that struck the First Family slightly tarnished the Bartlet Presidency. But at least the family was still in tact, and to Jed, that's all that really mattered.  
  
The First Family returned to the White House that evening to celebrate the end of one of the darkest chapters of their lives. As they gathered in the Residence, Abbey separated herself from the others. She hadn't told Jed about her concerns. She was worried that he wouldn't understand or that he simply wouldn't believe her.  
  
It was difficult for her to talk about. Hell, it was difficult for her to even analyze it in her own mind, but the truth was, she didn't think she was crazy. Oh sure, the first time, she thought she was seeing things. But when it kept happening, she began to doubt it was all in her head.  
  
Every now and then, she'd catch a glimpse of the long, blond hair, she'd see the piercing blue eyes staring at her through a door crack, or she'd hear a faint sinister laugh that she knew belonged to her. Emma was haunting her. But Abbey didn't believe in ghosts. She just didn't know what was going on. Maybe she really was hallucinating. Or was she?  
  
Down the hall from where the First Family was celebrating, the blond young woman sat in a rocking chair, creaking back and forth over and over again. Somehow, she had managed to get past the Secret Service. Somehow, she crept in and out of the 136 rooms of the White House, including the 13 bedrooms in the Residence, without being seen, unless she wanted to, of course. Occassionally, she'd hide under Abbey's bed, waiting to stare her in the eyes if Abbey caught her. She was only spotted there once -- on New Year's Eve. She'd sneak into the bathroom and write little messages on the steam-covered mirrors while her victims were in the shower. Sometimes, she'd peer in through a doorway, like the time Annie swore she saw Emma watching her. Once, she even presented herself in a window in the Residence while Annie walked through the garden. But it wasn't really Emma.  
  
Morgan Bradford had learned how to hide in plain sight, for she had been living in the Residence for the past three months. She had alluded the Secret Service, the First Lady, and even the Presdent, as she waited silently, yet dangerously, to avenge her twin sister's murder.  
  
The End 


End file.
